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If you work in tech, choosing the right city could mean the difference between thriving in a booming job market and scraping by with lacklustre opportunities. While London might dominate the headlines, it’s not the only place worth plugging in. Some cities offer better pay relative to living costs, others have remote work nailed, and a few offer a bit of both. So, which UK cities are really leading the way for tech careers?

To uncover the most tech-friendly cities in the UK, Ink Digital analysed data from 61 major locations, scoring each against seven key indicators of tech career success. These include: tech job demand, average salary, cost of living, the salary-to-cost-of-living ratio, number of tech jobs per 10,000 residents, tech events per 10,000 people, and the share of the population recently working from home – which points to remote working culture.

Each factor was weighted based on its influence, with tech job demand carrying the most weight (30%), followed by the salary-to-cost ratio (25%), tech job listings (20%), remote work prevalence (15%), and tech event frequency (10%). The data was sourced from trusted outlets including the Office for National Statistics (ONS), LinkedIn, Numbeo, and Eventbrite.

Portsmouth comes in eighth with a score of 44.26. The average salary is on the lower side at £1,930, but the city balances this with a relatively modest cost of living at £1,273. That gives a salary-to-cost ratio of 1.52 – not bad, but not brilliant either.

Portsmouth named among UK’s best cities for tech careers

The city ranks 19th for job demand and 28th for job postings (237 per 10,000). It does better on the event front, placing 22nd, and 17% of tech professionals recently worked from home – a healthy middle ground. It’s a decent option for those wanting a coastal city lifestyle with fair access to tech opportunities.

Cambridge, Oxford, and Westminster take the top three spots with a mix of high job demand, strong salaries, and job market activity – though Westminster’s cost of living is a trade-off. St Albans (4th) leads on job listing density, while Chester (5th) combines affordability and remote flexibility.

Winchester (6th) is a quiet contender with a healthy tech event culture, while Manchester (7th) impresses with job demand and salary balance. Gloucester (9th) provides excellent value for money with one of the lowest living costs on the list, and Nottingham (10th) is unmatched in how far your salary will stretch.

Meanwhile, London came in at 17th overall. Edinburgh ranked 12th, Bristol 15th, Leeds 16th, Birmingham 34th, Glasgow 39th and Liverpool 51st. The bottom five were Bradford, Aberdeen, Hereford, Stirling, and Kingston.

Top 10 list of best UK cities for tech careers according to the study:

Rank	City	Tech Job Demand %	Average Salary £	Average Cost of Living £	Salary/Cost of Living Index	No. of tech job posting per 10K people	No. of tech events per 10K people	Recently Worked from Home	Total Score
1	Cambridge	5.10	3,140	1,650	1.90	358	68.00	10%	58.58
2	Oxford	2.90	2,710	1,663	1.63	343	61.44	34%	58.07
3	Westminster	1.68	2,850	2,641	1.08	1,130	39.20	15%	57.65
4	St Albans	1.10	2,333	1,729	1.35	1,550	66.22	8%	57.24
5	Chester	1.20	2,300	1,341	1.71	505	90.65	24%	49.16
6	Winchester	1.60	2,200	1,357	1.62	396	77.09	14%	45.52
7	Manchester	3.20	2,289	1,228	1.86	118	17.88	22%	45.04
8	Portsmouth	1.90	1,930	1,273	1.52	238	47.44	17%	44.26
9	Gloucester	2.00	1,775	927	1.91	362	74.64	13%	43.54
10	Nottingham	3.30	2,271	915	2.48	162	30.91	28%	43.46

Portsmouth named among UK’s best cities for tech careers, according to new study