Reading, Aberdeen and Southampton have 'best quality of life in UK' Reading, Aberdeen and Southampton among best place to live in Britain London among worst thanks to high cost of housing and income inequality Major variations in quality of life between London boroughs Those that live there and make the daily commute into London may well dispute it, but Reading is the best place to live in the country, according to a report published today. The Berkshire town ranks alongside the cities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Southampton in a new report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the think-tank Demos, as the most attractive places to live in the UK. The report turns on its head the conventional wisdom that Britain's largest cities or its home counties countryside have the highest standard of living due to their wealth prospects, infrastructure and public resources. Modern utopia: Reading has the right mix of jobs, less income inequality than elsewhere and a good amount of affordable housing among a number of other factors that make it among the best places to live in the UK according to PwC Instead it shows provincial cities around the country outshining the largest urban areas for economic success and, crucially, according to measures of health of the population, the availability of jobs, housing affordability, income inequality and general work/life balance. Seen purely in terms of economic size London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds come out on top. But the PwC/Demos report finds London to be one of the worse places in Britain to live today. While the capital may have Oxford Street, West End theatres and restaurants, it also has among the worst income inequality in the country, overpriced housing and a creaking transport infrastructure. Quality of life: Reading in Berkshire is among the top cities to live in the UK for a number of factors perceived by the public to contribute to a better quality of life Other cities that ranked lowest om the PwC index alongside London were Middlesbrough, Stockton and Swansea, largely due to lack of jobs and lower incomes. But, unlike London, the same cities scored comparatively well on housing affordability and work/life balance. The picture within London is also rather complex as some inner-city boroughs, including Newham and Tower Hamlets, score poorly, compared to the national average, while outer boroughs such as Redbridge and Kingston score higher than average. Bottom rung: Despite the vast wealth on display in the City, London scored poorly in a number of criteria that determined its ranking for quality of life John Hawksworth, chief UK economist at PwC, said: "Our analysis demonstrates that there is a rising price for economic success for many of the largest UK cities. Increased congestion, pollution, income inequality and high house prices contribute to rankings in the index below that expected based on traditional measures. Medium sized cities with better quality of life tend to score better on our index based on what the public says is important to them. Paul Cleal, head of government and public sector at PwC, said: "Good growth is in everyone's interest. And to support good growth we need good jobs, ones that give satisfaction, pride in doing good work, meaning (such as contribution to the community), an opportunity for career progression, flexibility (work-life balance) and income sufficient to live on, ideally with a little left over. Goldilocks phenomenon: The report suggests there is a size that a city reaches both in economic and physical terms that may be 'just right' The findings contrast with a report last week that found Solihull had the highest standard of living in the UK. Price comparison website uSwitch said the West Midlands town scored highly for disposable income, life expectancy and fast broadband speeds. It added that town in Scottish provinces fared the worst by virtue of low incomes, poor exam results, low life expectancy and fewer hours of daylight. uSwith said people in the lowest-ranked areas of East and North Ayrshire have average salaries of £24,242 a year and 17 per cent less disposable income than Solihull, at £14,430 a year, while lifespan is also lower - men are expected to live until 75 and women 80.