West Midlands city crowned best family-friendly place to live in the UK with near perfect score

Property platform Making Moves has revealed the most family-friendly cities in the UK, evaluating locations based on schools, safety, green space, and cost of living.

Seven cities outside London made the top list — with one standout scoring just shy of a perfect rating.

Below are the top-rated cities, plus insights from local estate agents in the top five on what makes each place ideal for family life.

👉 See the full rankings at Making Moves

Birmingham - 9.7/10

Birmingham is the most family friendly place to live in the UK outside of London, according to Making Moves, with a near-perfect score of 9.7/10.

Making Moves said the cost of living there was among the lowest in the UK, and it had the cheapest council tax rates outside of the capital. It also described Birmingham as a ‘booming utopia for foodies’.

Nicola Stevens, branch manager of Connells estate agents, Kings Heath, said: “Birmingham has a lot of things that make it a great place to live, especially for families.

“There are fantastic schools, great public transport, and good hospitals with easy commuting to all these places.

“Birmingham city centre is very popular with families as there are plenty of amenities and is very easy to get to.

“There are so many parks, almost too many to note! A couple include Cannon Hill Park that is very popular with families as it offers something for everyone, young and old. There are also the Edgbaston cricket grounds that host a range of events for the local community to enjoy.

“Schools are very sought after in Birmingham and families move location to get their children into them as the schooling is desirable.

“The family housing market is buoyant in Birmingham with families always looking for bigger, more affordable homes that are nearer the city centre.”

Find the full rankings here: The 7 best family friendly cities in the UK, and why the experts say you'll love living there