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This English city officially has the UK’s highest salaries outside London

New research by Adzuna analysed one million salary adverts across the country

Amy Houghton
Written by
Amy Houghton
Contributing writer
Leeds, UK
Photograph: Shutterstock
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Let’s be real for a moment: few of us are in a job for the pure love of it. Salary definitely counts for something, and what you earn can depend a lot on where your job is based. Of course, to make up for the extortionate cost of living, Londoners tend to earn a bit more on average, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be well-off elsewhere.

New research has revealed that Leeds has the best-paying jobs outside of London. After analysing over one million roles, jobs site Adzuna found that the average advertised pay in the city is around £37,800. Not bad, eh? That could be partly down to the fact that big companies like First Direct, Yorkshire Bank, Asda, Evri and Channel 4 all have their headquarters in the Yorkshire city. 

Cambridge, known for being a tech and life sciences research hub, followed closely behind with an average salary of £37,692. Bristol, home to a significant collection of engineering, tech and finance firms, and Manchester, where the likes of Kelloggs and Adidas have their HQs, came in third- and fourth-highest paid. 

Home to a whole load of bankers and lawyers, it’s unsurprising that London’s financial district the City came out as the highest-paid postcode in the UK. Advertised salaries in the Square Mile apparently averaged £56,497. 

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said: ‘Jobseeking doesn’t need to be a postcode lottery. Those looking for lucrative work could start by searching in postcode areas with higher average pay cheques and our data shows areas like Leeds and Manchester are great options.

‘It can pay to look a little further afield when considering a new role, even if you don’t want to move location.’

Did you see that this northern English county has been named one of the world’s best places to visit in 2024?

Plus: Coca-Cola’s iconic Christmas truck tour is returning to the UK for Christmas 2023.

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