Over the past few years, I’ve watched the conversation around where to live shift dramatically. It used to be about commuting distance to an office. Now, the question I hear most often is: which UK town actually makes remote work sustainable, not just possible? A recent study ranked Southampton as the top UK city for remote work, thanks to average download speeds of 279.3 Mbps and a strong balance of affordability and safety. That figure matters because it means you can upload large files, join video calls without glitches, and work from home without the frustration of a lagging connection — something that directly affects your daily productivity and stress levels.
I’ve been covering the UK property and lifestyle market long enough to see patterns emerge. The towns that work best for remote workers aren’t always the obvious ones. London, for all its infrastructure, ranks as the least remote-friendly city in the same study, dragged down by high costs and surprisingly poor mobile internet speeds. The real opportunity lies in places that combine fast broadband, affordable housing, and genuine quality of life. Here’s what you actually need to know.
What Makes a Town Truly Remote-Work Ready
The first thing I look at isn’t the scenery or the coffee shop culture — it’s the internet. Without reliable, fast broadband, nothing else matters. The study of 60 UK cities weighted download speed heavily, and for good reason. A town can have beautiful parks and cheap rent, but if your video calls drop out or you can’t upload a presentation, you’ll burn out fast. The real test is whether the infrastructure supports your actual workday, not just your weekend.
Beyond internet, I weigh three things: cost of living, job availability in your field, and what I’d call “liveability” — green space, safety, and community. A place like St Albans has incredible job listings but the highest cost of living in the top ten. Lancaster, by contrast, offers affordability and solid job numbers, even if its coworking scene is sparse. My personal view is that most people overvalue coworking spaces and undervalue upload speed. If I were choosing today, I’d prioritise a town where the broadband is proven, then check whether the rent leaves room for savings.
Why Your Choice Affects Your Income and Sanity
Choosing the wrong town can quietly drain your finances and your wellbeing. Consider this: Preston has 46% of residents working from home, the highest rate in the study. That tells me the local economy and housing stock have adapted to remote work. You’re more likely to find landlords who understand fibre broadband requirements, neighbours on similar schedules, and local services that cater to daytime residents. In a town where remote work is rare, you might struggle with slow internet upgrades, noise during the day, or a lack of suitable housing.
Take a scenario: you’re a graphic designer earning £45,000 remotely. Moving to St Albans might give you access to a strong professional network, but the cost of living could eat up an extra £400 per month compared to Lancaster. Over a year, that’s nearly £5,000 — a significant chunk of your take-home pay. Meanwhile, Manchester has become the unofficial remote work capital of the North, offering a growing tech scene and lower costs than London. The trade-off between opportunity and affordability is real, and it’s different for every profession.
What I notice is that people often assume a bigger city means better infrastructure. That’s not always true. London’s mobile internet speeds and upload performance dragged it to the bottom of the ranking. Meanwhile, smaller cities like Exeter and Preston offer a balance that larger cities can’t match. If I were advising a friend, I’d tell them to spend a week working from a shortlisted town before moving. Test the internet at peak times, visit a local coworking space, and see how the daily rhythm feels.
Where People Go Wrong When Choosing a Remote Work Town
The most common mistake I see is prioritising the wrong metric. People fall in love with a town’s aesthetic — the cobbled streets, the sea views, the trendy cafés — and assume the practicalities will sort themselves out. They rarely do. Here are the specific errors that cost remote workers time, money, and peace of mind.
Ignoring Upload Speed in Favour of Download Speed
Most broadband adverts boast about download speeds. But for remote workers, upload speed is often the bottleneck. Lincoln has upload speeds of just 18 Mbps, and Norwich isn’t much better at 18.7 Mbps. If you’re on video calls, uploading design files, or using cloud-based software, those numbers will cause lag and dropped connections. The fix is simple: before moving, check the actual upload speed at the specific property using a site like Thinkbroadband. Don’t rely on city-wide averages alone.
Overvaluing Coworking Spaces
Nottingham has the highest number of coworking spaces per capita in the study, at 12.52 per 100,000 people. Yet it ranks eighth overall because its internet speeds are slow and remote job listings are low. Coworking spaces are a nice bonus, but they don’t fix a fundamentally poor infrastructure. If your home broadband is weak, a coworking space an hour away isn’t a practical solution. I’d rather have a reliable home connection and no coworking space than the reverse.
Underestimating the Cost of Living Gap
St Albans has the highest remote-friendly job listings in the study, with over 10,000 per 100,000 people. But it also has the highest cost of living in the top ten. Lancaster, by contrast, offers some of the lowest living costs and still has 7,206 remote job listings per 100,000 people. The gap between these two towns could mean thousands of pounds in annual savings. If you’re earning a fixed remote salary, that difference goes straight into your pocket — or your pension.
Assuming London Is the Best Option
London has world-class infrastructure and countless networking opportunities. But the study ranks it as the least remote-friendly city in the UK. High housing costs, poor mobile internet, and surprisingly slow upload speeds make it a poor choice for someone who doesn’t need to be in an office daily. Many remote workers now base themselves on the outskirts — Croydon, Walthamstow, Richmond — where green spaces and reliable transport make hybrid work easier. If you’re set on London, consider the commuter belt rather than Zone 1.
→ Scroll right to see all columns
| City | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) | Remote Job Listings (per 100k) | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 279.3 | 174.9 | Moderate | Moderate |
| Lancaster | Slower | Slower | 7,206 | Low |
| Exeter | Strong | 21.9 | 7,914 | Moderate |
| St Albans | Unimpressive | 23.5 | 10,000+ | Highest |
| Nottingham | Slow | Slow | 3,302 | Moderate |
How to Find Your Ideal Remote Work Town
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Finding the right town isn’t about picking a name off a list. It’s about matching your specific needs to a location’s real data. Here’s the process I’d follow, broken into practical steps.
Test the Internet Before You Commit
This is non-negotiable. Use a site like Thinkbroadband to check average speeds in the specific postcode you’re considering. Don’t rely on city-wide figures. Exeter’s city-wide upload speed of 21.9 Mbps might hide a street with full-fibre gigabit. Or it might be worse. If you’re moving into a rental, ask the landlord or letting agent for a speed test result from the property. If they can’t provide one, that’s a red flag. A Wi-Fi range extender can help with dead zones, but it won’t fix a slow connection from the street.
Calculate Your Real Cost of Living
Don’t just compare rent prices. Factor in council tax, transport, energy bills, and the cost of local services like gyms and grocery delivery. Stoke-on-Trent has a low cost of living and 37% of residents working from home, which suggests the local economy supports remote workers well. Use a cost-of-living calculator to compare your current town with your shortlist. The difference might surprise you — and it could fund a better home office setup.
Check the Job Market for Your Industry
St Albans has over 10,000 remote-friendly job listings per 100,000 people, but those might be concentrated in finance or tech. If you’re in a creative field, Bristol’s strong mix of tech, design, and sustainability-focused industries might suit you better. Search job boards for your specific role in each town before you decide. A high overall listing count means little if your industry isn’t represented.
Consider the Commuter Belt for Hybrid Roles
If you need to be in an office once or twice a week, the commuter belt offers a compromise. Brighton’s easy train link to London makes it ideal for hybrid workers who want sea views and city access. Similarly, Leeds is well-connected to Manchester, Sheffield, and London by rail, making hybrid commuting feasible without living in the city centre. The key is to test the commute at peak times before signing a lease. A 90-minute train that runs hourly is very different from a 90-minute train that runs every ten minutes.
Look Beyond the Top Ten
The study focused on 60 cities, but smaller towns are increasingly viable. Places like Bath, York, and Falmouth offer slower-paced living with growing coworking scenes. As full-fibre broadband expands, these smaller communities will become more attractive. If you value peace and quiet over nightlife, a market town with good broadband might be your best bet. Just verify the internet before you fall in love with the property photos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is London completely off the table for remote workers? ▾
What if I need very fast upload speeds for video editing? ▾
Are coworking spaces worth paying for? ▾
How do I check broadband speeds before moving? ▾
Which town has the best balance of cost and internet speed? ▾
Can I make a small town work for remote work? ▾
The towns that work best for remote work aren’t the ones with the best marketing — they’re the ones with the fastest upload speeds, the most affordable rents, and a local economy that has adapted to people working from home. My advice is to start with the data, then visit. Test the internet, walk the streets at midday, and see whether the town feels like a place you could live and work for years. If this was useful, you might also want to read Green Living Spaces: The UK’s Growing Demand for Eco-Friendly Homes.
Sources and Further Reading
Renting vs Buying in the UK: The Ultimate Financial Face-Off — A practical breakdown of the costs and trade-offs between renting and buying, essential reading if you’re considering relocating for remote work.
Best UK Cities for Remote Workers in 2025. Remote People, 2025.
UK Cities for Remote Work: A Comprehensive Guide. Remote Work Europe, 2025.
