The city scored a "near perfect" relocation score of 9.40 out of ten in the survey of 35 of the UK's largest cities conducted by online language learning platform, Preply.

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The cost of living for expats in the UK

Eight statistical metrics were used to compile the rankings, including an expat's monthly cost of living, average salaries after tax, internet speeds, local amenities and attractions, and safety.Manchester emerged as the clear winner in the rankings, not least because of a relatively high monthly salary after tax for expats."With one of the fastest internet speeds in the country (57 Mbps), Manchester is great for remote workers who rely on the internet on a day-to-day basis," reported Preply. "However, those wanting to rent a co-working space will find Manchester to be the most expensive city for this, with the average monthly cost being £256"

Internet speeds buffer index

Portsmouth was ranked second mainly because of healthy salaries and low rents for one-bedroom apartments in the city centre. "Portsmouth is also safer than Manchester, with a city safety index score of 54.06 compared with Manchester’s 44.46. Internet speeds are, however, much slower at just 17 Mbps, and we found just nine top-rated activities to fill free time," said the report. Third-placed Southampton also scored well when it came to salaries and rents. Though Southampton had a slightly faster internet speed than Portsmouth and offered more in the way of things to do, safety was more of a concern with its safety index score of 48.76 being the fourth lowest among the top 20 cities.London itself occupied 20th spot in the rankings, primarily due to the high cost of living and rental charges. The capital also had a lower-than-average internet speed, reducing the city's expat relocation score to 5.07 out of ten.

Preply's top 10 cities for expats moving to the UK: 

1. Manchester 9.40
2. Portsmouth 6.77
3. Southampton 6.64
4. Leicester 6.62
5. York 6.35
6. Edinburgh 6.25
7. Leeds 6.17
8. Newcastle 6.13
9. Birmingham 6.08
10. Aberdeen 5.89

KL the place to be globally

In a related survey of 60 capital cities across the world, Preply ranked Kuala Lumpur as the best city for expats, mainly because of its low cost of living. It also has the most affordable co-working spaces among the top 20 cities, although its internet speeds are poor.Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, came second in the rankings and had one of the best scores for safety. Lisbon was third and was praised for the number of things it offered to see and do.

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