Nearly 1,450 cities, towns and villages across England and Wales have been ranked in Garrington Property Finders’ list of the Best Places to Live in 2026.
The peaceful and picturesque village of Rawdon, in West Yorkshire, is the best place to live in Yorkshire and the second best nationally, according to the newly published guide.
Garrington described how Rawdon offers the best of both worlds, with ‘great landscapes, panoramic views, and easy access to Leeds’.
Rawdon, located just six miles from Leeds city centre, scored particularly highly for natural environment and heritage/culture.
It is also rated as one of the best value places to buy a house, with the price of an average family home there having fallen by 0.3% in the last year, to £451,094.
Garrington rated 1,447 cities, towns and villages across England and Wales on five criteria to determine their overall ranking. Those criteria were: wellbeing; schools, employment and connectivity; natural environment; heritage/culture; and house price, quality and value.
Rawdon was one of 10 places across Leeds to make the top 100.
Below are the 13 best places to live in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2026, according to Garrington Property Finders, listed in reverse order.
Is your area among them, and where do you think is the best place to live in Yorkshire?
For more regional property news, check out our list of the places around Yorkshire where most homes are rising in value.
1. Meltham - 13th
Meltham is the 13th best place to live in Yorkshire and the Humber, according to Garrington Property Finders, and the 119th best place in England and Wales. It was ranked 697th out of 1,447 cities, towns and villages nationally; 504th for wellbeing; 544th for natural environment; 317th for heritage/culture; and 358th for house price, quality and value. The average price of a family home there is £371,037, having risen by 10.14% in the last year. | Google Photo: Google
2. Leeds - 12th
Leeds is the 12th best place to live in Yorkshire and the Humber, according to Garrington Property Finders, and the 110th best place in England and Wales. It was ranked 295th out of 1,447 cities, towns and villages nationally; 1,444th for wellbeing; 159th for natural environment; 77th for heritage/culture; and 385th for house price, quality and value. The average price of a family home there is £353,490, having risen by 1.05% in the last year. | Duncan - stock.adobe.com Photo: Duncan - stock.adobe.com
3. Morley - 11th
The market town of Morley, near Leeds, is the 11th best place to live in Yorkshire and the Humber, according to Garrington Property Finders, and the 105th best place in England and Wales. It was ranked 331st out of 1,447 cities, towns and villages nationally for schools, employment and connectivity; 1,326th for wellbeing; 171st for natural environment; 94th for heritage/culture; and 412th for house price, quality and value. The average price of a family home there is £357,755, having risen by 5.28% in the last year. | Google Photo: Google
4. Burley-in-Wharfedale - 10th
Burley-in-Wharfedale is the 10th best place to live in Yorkshire and the Humber, according to Garrington Property Finders, and the 96th best place in England and Wales. It was ranked 550th out of 1,447 cities, towns and villages nationally for schools, employment and connectivity; 100th for wellbeing; 358th for natural environment; 197th for heritage/culture; and 1,077th for house price, quality and value. The average price of a family home there is £441,256, having fallen by 2.48% in the last year. | Google Photo: Google