The happiest place to live in Wales in 2024

What makes the place where you live happy? Every year online property portal Rightmove attempt to find out by asking their users. The result is the Happy Homes Index research from which a list of the happiest places to live in Great Britain, according to their residents.

The Happy at Home Index measures 15 key drivers of happiness which contribute to the overall level of happiness Rightmove's uses feel in their home and community, and in 2024 the annual survey was completed by 35,063 people.

The overall number one place to live in Great Britain has been revealed as Woodbridge, Suffolk. As in 2023, the happiest place to call home in 2024 in Wales has been revealed as Monmouth, also coming fourth on the Great Britain top 20 list. However, last year Wales had three places named in the top 20 list but this year Monmouth is the only surviving Welsh town. Find out more about the 2023 survey here.

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However, 10 more Welsh locations do feature outside the top 20 in Great Britain and they range from Llandudno at number 22 (number 2 in Wales) to Caerphilly at number 186 (number 11 in Wales).

Analysis of the 2024 data shows that feeling proud to live in an area was the number one driver of overall happiness. This is complemented by other less tangible factors, such as feeling a sense of belonging, and being able to be yourself. Whilst still extremely important to many people, overall, living near to family and friends was the lowest driver of overall happiness.

The index also revealed a number of other trends. Rightmove state that this year residents of areas in Scotland, Wales and the South West said they were happiest with where they live overall, while those in the East and West Midlands said they were the least happy.

The happiest places to live in Wales in 2024 according to Rightmove research:

But to be thinking about moving to the happiest place in Wales, or the area that surrounds it, might not make you happy at all if you don't have a healthy buying budget, because Monmouthshire is the most expensive county to buy a house in Wales, and has been for a number of years when analysing sold property prices produced monthly by the UK government's Office for National Statistics (ONS).

You can find a house or flat within the county's borders on a lower level budget but there might have to be a compromise on location, land, space, or the style of home you can secure. Currently, according to Rightmove, house prices in Monmouth had an overall average of £316,672 over the last year, compared to the national average of £232,430 published by Principality Building Society.

For the most up-to-date quarterly data Principality state that the average house price for Monmouth for quarter three of 2024 was even higher at £358,558. Overall, although the historical sold prices in Monmouth over the last year were 6% down on the previous year they were still 2% up on the 2021 previous peak of £310,553.

The majority of properties sold in Monmouth during the last year were detached properties, selling for an average price of £433,265. Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £279,400, with terraced properties fetching £259,816 - all significantly higher than the national average for each of these property types according to the ONS.

Happiness factors 2024 ranked:

Delving deeper into the overall findings for Great Britain, the index shows that just over a third (34%) of people said they thought they’d be happier living somewhere else. These residents were most likely to live in the West Midlands, and they were most likely to want to move to the South West.

Gen-Z (18-24 year olds) were the most likely to say that they thought they’d be happier living in a different area, while those aged 55+ were the least likely, suggesting we become more content with our surroundings as we get older or secure our forever home.

For anyone looking to be happier where they live, the type of environment that made residents the happiest was a rural location by a woodland or forest, and also near a National Park or National Landscape, formerly known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert said: "For over a decade we’ve been asking residents what makes them feel happy about where they live, as feeling happy is about more than the home itself. It’s the intangible factors of feeling proud to live in an area, feeling a sense of belonging, and feeling able to be yourself that are the biggest drivers of happiness.

"There are some interesting trends revealed by the study, such as how those who live in a rural location are more likely to be happy than urban dwellers, who often live in busy cities. It’s the younger generation who are most likely to say they would be happier living somewhere else, many of whom have to travel to cities for education or to find their first jobs."

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Find your next home in your happy place here: