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Leeds Live
Leeds Live
National
Dave Himelfield

How much you need to earn to be truly happy in Leeds, according to survey

Leeds is one of the UK's 'happiest' cities, but you'll need to earn above a certain salary to really enjoy it.

That's according to a study into whether money does buy happiness, by savings account website Raisin UK. It does, apparently.

With a 'happiness score' of 23.1 and an average life expectancy of 80.2, Leeds came 15th in the top 20 of Britain's happiest cities. Top was Winchester, Hampshire, which had a 'happiness score' of 24.2 and an average life expectancy of 83.6.

The 'happiness score' is gleaned from data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) personal well-being reports and the Happy Planet Index.

But to really enjoy living in Leeds you'll need an annual salary of at least £27,712, which is just below the average UK salary.

Still, the price of 'happiness' in Leeds is cheaper than it is in Winchester (£35,346) and particularly London (£41,220).

Raisin UK said: "The average salary of the top 10 happiest cities in the UK is £33,864, suggesting that people in the UK are happiest if they are earning over £30k compared to the lower salaries of unhappy cities. This is just over the UK average salary of £29K.

"However, this cost is much higher in the happiest cities in the ranking, Winchester (£35,346 needed) and Cambridge (£33,225 needed to buy happiness)."

And spare a thought for the people of the tiny central European country of Luxembourg where 'happiness' costs a whopping £94,590 year.

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