While it may come as no surprise that more than three quarters of the most desirable places for young professionals to live in the country are in London, it’s the South Coast that continued to dominate for the second year in a row

Sold sign outside London apartment

Although your mind might immediately turn to Brighton when hearing “South Coast”, its neighbour, Hove, topped the list of best places for young professionals to live in 2016. Brighton only managed to come in seventh place.

According to the list compiled by Lloyds Bank, which is based on land registry figures of property sales, London postcodes take 16 of the top 20 spots.

The top 20 places for young people, ranked:

  1. BN3 Hove
  2. SW18 Wandsworth
  3. S19 Wimbledon
  4. SW11 Battersea
  5. SW16 Streatham
  6. SW6 Fulham
  7. BN1 Brighton
  8. SW15 Putney
  9. NW3 Hampstead
  10. NW6 Kilburn
  11. SW17 Tooting
  12. W4 Chiswick
  13. W5 Ealing
  14. W2 Paddington
  15. SW2 Brixton
  16. SW4 Clapham
  17. SW12 Balham
  18. M20 Didsbury
  19. N1 Islington
  20. RG1 Reading

With a third of London's population aged between 25 and 44, it’s little wonder that most of the popular areas for this group are in the capital. However, there is also a strong trend showing that this group prefers an urban lifestyle without the congestion that comes with inner city living.

Other popular spots included Didsbury in south Manchester, the CB4 area of Cambridge, West Bridgford in Nottingham, Jesmond in Newcastle, Cardiff Central in Wales and Broomhill in Sheffield.

Moving to the UK? Take the stress out of the process and hit the ground running when you arrive. Download your free UK Relocation Pack here.

We are a professional services company that specialises in cross-border financial and immigration advice and solutions.

Our teams in the UK, South Africa and Australia can ensure that when you decide to move overseas, invest offshore or expand your business internationally, you'll do so with the backing of experienced local experts.