Cities in the UK That Are MOST Nervous About 2023

With the UK’s inflation rate rising by 9.3% over the last 12 months, data from a recent ONS survey revealed that 93% of adults see the cost of living as an important issue.

On top of this, it is predicted that in the next few years, unemployment will rise to over 500,000, and many of us are concerned about what 2023 may bring. But which UK cities are the most concerned about the predicted difficult year ahead?

SEO agency Reboot Online sought to find out which cities are most and least nervous for 2023. Using ads.google.com, phrases such as "cost of living support" and "cost of living help" were collected for the average yearly search for each city.

Key findings from the data:

Durham is the UK city most nervous about 2023, with 7,470 annual searches per 100,000 users.
Swansea is the second most nervous city in the UK, with over 3,744 annual searches per 100,000 users.
Edinburgh is the UK city least nervous about 2023, with 487 annual searches per 100,000 users.

UK Cities MOST Nervous About 2023

SEO agency Reboot Online can reveal that the city most nervous about 2023 is Durham, with over 7,470 searches per 100,000 users. Durham finds itself in the top 32% of most expensive cities in the world. Due to this, Durham’s residents may be concerned about cost of living support and seeking help on debt-related issues.

Swansea comes in as the second most nervous city, accumulating over 3,744 searches per 100,000 users. Despite rent prices being 15.10% lower in Swansea than Durham, Swansea still finds itself in the top 35% of expensive cities in the world, which may bring concern to residents at this challenging time financially.

The third most worried city is Kingston upon Hull, having had over 3,623 searches per 100,000 users. Kingston upon Hull was recently found to have some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in England. Due to this, residents may be nervous in the current economic climate, concerned about finding ways to save their money, as well as cost of living help.

Rank

City

Average Annual Searches

(per 100,000 internet users)

Durham

7,470

Swansea

3,744

Kingston upon Hull

3,623

Worcester

2,375

Gloucester

2,186

Sunderland

1,880

Liverpool

1,818

Milton Keynes

1,485

Inverness

1,454

Bradford

1,401

UK Cities LEAST Nervous About 2023

The study also found that the city least nervous about the new year ahead is Edinburgh, with just 487 searches per 100,000 users. Edinburgh has previously been flagged as a city with lower living costs and good salary prospects.

Winchester follows as the second least worried city in the UK, with only 501 searches per 100,000 users. Residents may be less worried than that of the top 10 most nervous cities, about issues regarding cost of living support.

The third least nervous city is Southampton, with 512 searches per 100,000 users. Compared to the most nervous city, Durham,Southampton’s grocery prices are 9.63% lower, as well as restaurant prices 6.76% lower than that of Durham.

Rank

City

Average Annual Searches

(per 100,000 internet users)

Edinburgh

487

Winchester

501

Southampton

512

Ripon

534