While London might dominate the headlines, it’s not the only place worth plugging in. Some cities offer better pay relative to living costs, others have remote work nailed, and a few offer a bit of both. So, which UK cities are really leading the way for tech careers?
To uncover the most tech-friendly cities in the UK, Ink Digital analysed data from 61 major locations, scoring each against seven key indicators of tech career success. These include: tech job demand, average salary, cost of living, the salary-to-cost-of-living ratio, number of tech jobs per 10,000 residents, tech events per 10,000 people, and the share of the population recently working from home – which points to remote working culture.
Each factor was weighted based on its influence, with tech job demand carrying the most weight (30%), followed by the salary-to-cost ratio (25%), tech job listings (20%), remote work prevalence (15%), and tech event frequency (10%). The data was sourced from trusted outlets including the Office for National Statistics (ONS), LinkedIn, Numbeo, and Eventbrite.
Westminster lands third with a score of 57.65, thanks largely to its staggering number of tech job listings – over 1,130 per 10,000 people, the second highest overall. Salaries are nothing to sniff at either, averaging £2,850 a month. But there's a catch: the cost of living here is the highest of all cities analysed, sitting at a wallet-draining £2,641.
This imbalance gives Westminster the weakest salary-to-cost-of-living ratio in the top 10 – just 1.08. It’s a prime example of job access over affordability. It also ranks on the lower end for remote work culture, with only 15% of residents having recently worked from home.
Cambridge leads the way with the highest tech job demand and enviable salaries. Oxford (2nd) follows closely with excellent remote work rates and overall consistency across all categories. St Albans (4th) makes a splash with its tech job density, while Chester (5th) impresses with its value for money and dynamic tech community.
Winchester in sixth place offers great event numbers and decent affordability, and Manchester, ranked seventh, is one of the strongest for job demand and remote work rates. Portsmouth and Gloucester, in 8th and 9th respectively, provide balanced living at lower costs, while Nottingham (10th) clinches the best affordability ranking by far – a solid pick for cost-savvy professionals.
Meanwhile, London came in at 17th overall. Edinburgh ranked 12th, Bristol 15th, Leeds 16th, Birmingham 34th, Glasgow 39th and Liverpool 51st. The bottom five were Bradford, Aberdeen, Hereford, Stirling, and Kingston.
Top 10 list of best UK cities for tech careers according to the study:
| Rank | City | Tech Job Demand % | Average Salary £ | Average Cost of Living £ | Salary/Cost of Living Index | No. of tech job posting per 10K people | No. of tech events per 10K people | Recently Worked from Home | Total Score |
| 1 | Cambridge | 5.10 | 3,140 | 1,650 | 1.90 | 358 | 68.00 | 10% | 58.58 |
| 2 | Oxford | 2.90 | 2,710 | 1,663 | 1.63 | 343 | 61.44 | 34% | 58.07 |
| 3 | Westminster | 1.68 | 2,850 | 2,641 | 1.08 | 1,130 | 39.20 | 15% | 57.65 |
| 4 | St Albans | 1.10 | 2,333 | 1,729 | 1.35 | 1,550 | 66.22 | 8% | 57.24 |
| 5 | Chester | 1.20 | 2,300 | 1,341 | 1.71 | 505 | 90.65 | 24% | 49.16 |
| 6 | Winchester | 1.60 | 2,200 | 1,357 | 1.62 | 396 | 77.09 | 14% | 45.52 |
| 7 | Manchester | 3.20 | 2,289 | 1,228 | 1.86 | 118 | 17.88 | 22% | 45.04 |
| 8 | Portsmouth | 1.90 | 1,930 | 1,273 | 1.52 | 238 | 47.44 | 17% | 44.26 |
| 9 | Gloucester | 2.00 | 1,775 | 927 | 1.91 | 362 | 74.64 | 13% | 43.54 |
| 10 | Nottingham | 3.30 | 2,271 | 915 | 2.48 | 162 | 30.91 | 28% | 43.46 |