Wokingham in the South East is the best place to buy a forever home, according to analysis from money.co.uk.

The price comparison site said the attractive market town has a low crime rate and is just 40 miles from London. The average house price in Wokingham is £490,206 and those who live in the area are estimated to earn approximately £730.10 per week.

The money.co.uk study into the best places in the UK to buy a forever home looked at factors such as crime rates, average house prices, energy prices, weekly earnings and life expectancy.

In second place was Mole Valley in Surrey, a highly desirable area of the UK with average house prices of £573,894.

On average those living in the district earn £764.20 a week, which is slightly higher than Wokingham. Life expectancy for this area is high at 83.86 which is higher than the total average for all locations at 82.25.

Three areas took third place in the forever home list – South Oxfordshire, Uttlesford and East Hertfordshire.

Top 10 ‘forever home’ locations

1. Wokingham – £490,206
2. Mole Valley – £573,894
3. South Oxfordshire – £489,780
3. Uttlesford – £477,439
3. East Hertfordshire – £443,591
6. Rutland – £340,983
7. Rushcliffe – £343,489
8. Mid Sussex – £455,501
9. South Norfolk – £339,236
10. Broadland – £332,085

Low crime rates

The study also highlighted that the UK area with the lowest crime rate is the Orkney Islands in Scotland.

The area with the highest life expectancy rate is Hart with an average expectancy of 84.55.

And the the highest gross weekly earnings are in Copeland, at £943.30 a week.