Have you had to adapt to home working in recent months? If so, you’ll likely already know how important it is to create a comfortable and productive environment. Yet a new study has shown Aberdeen to be one of the worst places to live in the UK for home workers.
The verdict comes from a study carried out by instantprint, online specialists in business cards and other printed materials. The company compared major UK destinations by all-important WFH factors such as internet speed and property size – and the results don’t look good for our home city.
Poor connectivity is one reason why Aberdeen is officially the 8th worst city in the UK for remote working. But which other locations are in the mix, and how do they compare by key ranking factors?
Overall Winners and Losers
We’ve been slower to return to the office than our European counterparts since lockdown restrictions were eased. Could those in Belfast simply have it too good at home? The Northern Irish capital earns the title of best UK city for home working, picking up 105 points by instantprint’s overall calculations.
At the opposite end of the rankings, London collects just 67 points as the least desirable location for remote workers. But while Aberdeen only picks up 79, locals may find some pride in beating Glasgow’s total of 75 and tying with Edinburgh.
Connectivity
Delving further into the details, the study analysed average internet download speeds (Mbps) and 4G signal strength as two key elements in successful home working. After all, who hasn’t now experienced the pain of a poor-quality video call?
Aberdeen’s average Mbps of 42.8 is almost the slowest in the UK, pipped only by Sheffield’s lowly 39.3. Glasgow and Edinburgh both average in the low 50s, while only those in Belfast and Nottingham regularly enjoy speeds over 60 Mbps.
An average 4G signal strength of 5.2 Mbps – the slowest of all major cities – doesn’t make things much easier for home workers in Aberdeen.
Property Size
The study also looked at property size and number of rooms to assess where home workers are best off settling down.
Aberdeen boasts an average property size of 67.457 m² with 2.2 rooms per property. Those figures mean workers have more room to spread out than in Glasgow – but less than in Edinburgh.
Properties are largest overall in Cambridge and Nottingham, and smallest in Sheffield and Southampton.
Living Costs
Property prices, rents and cost of living rounded out the study. The average property in Aberdeen costs £143,300 to buy or £597 per month to rent, while the average cost of living is £675 per person per month.
That looks a snip compared to London, where unsurprisingly all three figures are highest. House prices are also high in Oxford and Cambridge, while average rents in Bristol and Bournemouth aren’t far behind.
Edinburgh is the costliest Scottish city to live in, though Glasgow comes out as one of the cheapest areas in the UK. Will you be staying put in Aberdeen?
Jon Constantine-Smith, Head of instantprint, commented on the findings:
“Working from home long-term, especially when it’s something we don’t have a choice in, can take some getting used to, and even more so if you’re limited on space and may not have the fastest internet speeds.
Although you can’t deck out every member of your team’s house with a home office, there are things you can do to make them more comfortable, like letting them take their equipment home with them.”
