Welsh locations named in Britain’s ‘best places to retire’ list
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A study scoring areas that make up a happier later life has revealed the top places for retirees in the UK, and named the best constituencies for people ‘to retire to’ in Wales.
The study from L&G looked at factors including access to healthcare, opportunities to build social connections, access to nature, local amenities and financial security
Monmouthshire came top of the list in Wales, followed by Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Vale of Glamorgan and Ynys Mon in the index compiled by L&G.
L&G said the areas performed “exceptionally well” on its health measure, reflecting a strong proportion of over-65s in good physical and mental health.
They also scored highly on financial security and in other areas, such as access to nature and community, making it a well-rounded environment for later life, according to the index.
The index was compiled by scoring areas against six “pillars” – housing, health, social and community, financial, nature, and amenities.
This was based on analysis of a wide range of existing data including Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, census data and housing and house price reports.
Opinium survey findings from research among 3,000 UK retirees in April 2024 were also analysed. The happiest retirees were defined as those with a life satisfaction score greater than the sample median average.
“A happy later life”
Lorna Shah, managing director – retail retirement, L&G, said: “This research gives us a more complete picture of what shapes a happy later life. It’s not just about one factor – it’s the combination of health, social connections, environment, and financial security that all play a part in retirement wellbeing.
“Financial security in particular, is an enabler for many of the other measures, giving people the freedom to choose where and how they want to live in later life.”
L&G said the south west of England performed well in its index in relation to housing, which considered factors such as access to residential care homes and the availability of suitable senior housing in the region.
Bristol Central in Bristol, Gloucester in Gloucestershire, and Bournemouth East in Dorset all performed well for suitable housing for those in retirement.
Meanwhile, Lancashire’s Fylde area was the top performer in terms of social and community connection, followed by Lowestoft in Suffolk and Dorking and Horley in Surrey.
This pillar considered the number of adults in the area aged 65 and over, life satisfaction levels, reported levels of happiness, and distance to the nearest station.
The East of England scored well when ranked according to the nature pillar with Castle Point, Essex, South Holland and The Deepings, Lincolnshire, and South Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire, making the top three.
This pillar involved looking at air quality, reported summer days, the percentage of addresses with private outdoor space, and the average size of private outdoor space.
London constituencies claimed the top spots when assessed against the amenities pillar with Cities of London and Westminster, Holborn and St Pancras, and Islington South and Finsbury, all making the top three.
Wales and Scotland also made the top five with Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Wales, Gwynedd) and Glasgow East taking fourth and fifth spots respectively.
This pillar considered access to chemists, supermarkets, post offices, banks, libraries, and theatres, among other amenities.
Here are the best places to retire in Britain, according to L&G’s index:
1. Chesham and Amersham, Buckinghamshire
2. Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
3. Dorking and Horley, Surrey
4. Godalming and Ash, Surrey
5. Mid Sussex
6. Woking, Surrey
7. Farnham and Bordon, Surrey
8. Esher and Walton, Surrey
9. Suffolk Coastal, Suffolk
10. East Grinstead and Uckfield, West Sussex
11. Henley and Thame, Oxfordshire
12. Sevenoaks, Kent
13. New Forest West, Hampshire
14. Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, Outer London
15. Tatton, Cheshire
16. West Dorset
17. Surrey Heath, Surrey
18. Maidenhead, Berkshire
19. Windsor, Berkshire
20. Guildford, Surrey
Here are the best places to retire in Scotland, according to L&G’s index:
1. Mid Dunbartonshire
2. Stirling and Strathallan
3. East Renfrewshire
4 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
5. Na h-Eileanan an Iar
6. Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber
7. Perth and Kinross-shire
8. Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
9. Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
10. Dumfries and Galloway
11. Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
12, Edinburgh North and Leith
13. Edinburgh West
14. Gordon and Buchan
15. Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
16. Angus and Perthshire Glens
17. Arbroath and Broughty Ferry
18. Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
19. North East Fife
20. Aberdeenshire North and Moray East
Here are the best places to retire in Wales, according to L&G’s index:
1. Monmouthshire
2. Dwyfor Meirionnydd
3. Vale of Glamorgan
4. Ynys Mon
5. Mid and South Pembrokeshire
6. Bangor Aberconwy
7. Caerfyrddin
8. Gower
9. Bridgend
10. Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe
11. Cardiff North
12. Clwyd North
13. Ceredigion Preseli
14. Clwyd East
15. Llanelli
16. Newport West and Islwyn
17. Pontypridd
18. Wrexham
19. Cardiff South and Penarth
20. Neath and Swansea East
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Do we really need to know that? As the article suggests, retirees with a comfortable income can access a ‘Good Lifestyle’ almost anywhere. But what about the rest of the population who are in insecure jobs, on minimum wages, etc. who might wish to live in some of those areas because that is where they grew up and have family connections?
It’s not a “best in Britain” list if there are separate lists for England, Scotland and Wales.
Probably the “best” in Wales for those relocating Cymraeg-phobic Sais retirees.
It appears that L&G have a different interpretation to you and I of where the boundaries of Britain lie, and for some reason the true brits are on the wrong side of that line. Either that or no place in Scotland or Wales was good enough to make the top 20 in Britain, so they had to make up separate lists.
If it’s the second one that raises the possibility that successful folk from England choose to retire in England, while Wales and Scotland are lumbered with the sad angry losers who try to pretend they’re still in the England they couldn’t afford.
Neath?
Swansea East?
Retire to Wales? Only if you are Welsh, otherwise you be about as welcome as a dog with fleas.
Not only Welsh, just not English
Not in my experience. I’m English by birth and moved to Wales at the age of 70. However I’d previously come here as an undergraduate student at the age of 19 and I ended up staying here to live and work for twenty years, throughout my 20s and 30s. And I learned to speak basic Welsh.
Maybe all that makes a difference? However that may be, I’ve felt absolutely welcome all the time since I returned here.
The fact that my home town of Llanelli made the list tells me all I need to know about it’s respectability.