Edinburgh tops the table when it comes to the best place to live in the UK, according to a new survey from comparison site Moneysupermarket.

The study looks at the 12 largest cities in the UK and measures quality of living based on a range of key economic indicators including: house price affordability; affordability of rental costs; salaries; disposable income; cost of living; unemployment rates and life satisfaction.

Edinburgh has scored above average almost across the board. Of the UK’s 12 largest cities, it has the lowest unemployment rate, dropping from 6.6% last year to 5.5% this year. Edinburgh residents also take home the highest average annual salary (£25,543) outside of London whilst benefiting from lower cost of living with an average weekly household expenditure of £386.50 compared to the UK average of £426.30.

Belfast comes in at second place in the Quality of Living Index, boosted by the fact it has the second lowest unemployment rate at 6.5%, which is down from 6.8% last year. The Northern Irish capital also has the highest life satisfaction score of all the 12 cities.

The Welsh capital of Cardiff takes the bronze position in third place. The city has a low cost of living with an average weekly household expenditure of £384.60 against an average of £426.30, as well as an above average amount of disposable income – £16,520 per head, up 3% from £15,999 in 2014.

Birmingham was in the bottom spot this year as it performs below average for five out of seven indicators. The city has the lowest disposable income of £13,575 a year per person against a UK average of £17,559.

Kevin Pratt, consumer finance expert at Moneysupermarket, said:

“Anyone who lives in or who has visited Edinburgh won’t be surprised to learn that it has clinched the top spot in our Quality of Living survey.

“It is a beautiful city with stunning architecture and a thriving cultural scene and, in addition, it has over the last year benefited from lower unemployment and lower cost of living. People in the Scottish capital have also seen a rise in disposable income and salaries over the last 12 months, propelling the city to the top of the list of best places to live in the UK.”