Edward de Bono pioneered the system of “Six Thinking Hats“, in which, for example, you look at the same situation from different perspectives when taking a decision. In the article below, we’ll try to give you the perspective of getting some of the information which you might find useful about relocating.

We suggest you read this article in this way: instead of trying to click on all the links and getting all the information, try to just have a look all the graphics and tables which are already present in the article, and only click on the additional links when you require extra information.

There is a lot of information to take in, so consider going to the most relevant information to you.

Top links to consider

• UK, interactive map: A very good overall map to start looking: Best Places to Live in England, UK | illustreets
• UK, interactive map showing where do people commute in England: Commuting in the UK – Office for National Statistics
• UK, interactive database with very detailed official information: UK Local Area – Neighbourhood Profile – Schools – House Prices – Council Tax – Gas / Electricity Prices

Cost of living, UK and International

How inflation has changed in the last 10 years (inflation greatly affects the cost of living due to price increases):

Source: Consumer Price Inflation, July 2015. Latest data: Consumer Price Indices – ONS.

• UK, interactive map, cost of living, 2015: Cost of Living in United Kingdom. 2015 prices in United Kingdom.
• UK, interactive map, cost of living, 2011 (you should click on the images): What is the real cost of living for UK employees today?.
• International – table, Local purchasing power, 2014: Countries Compared by Cost of living > Local purchasing power. International Statistics at NationMaster.com.
• UK, interactive price comparison for various places in the UK: Cost of Living in United Kingdom. Prices in United Kingdom. Updated Aug 2015.
• International, static map, UK prices compared with other countries of the world: Cost of living infographic: Thinking of moving abroad? Here is a list of the cheapest and most expensive countries – Business News – Business – The Independent.
• International, text, UK prices compared with other countries, mostly of Europe: The cost of living: How prices in UK compare with rest of world – Mirror Online.

Housing – UK and London

• UK, static map housing affordability: Property affordability map? Most and least reasonable house prices in England | This is Money
• UK, interactive map: Average house prices: Heatmap of UK property values – Zoopla
• UK, interactive map: Average house prices: Average house prices: how expensive is your area? | Visual.ONS
• UK, interactive map: Average house prices: Where can I afford to live? – BBC News
• UK, interactive map: Price change: Land Registry heat maps
• UK, interactive map: Price change: Mapped: How much has your house price moved in 10 years? – Telegraph
• London, interactive map with accommodation prices: Interactive map: London’s renting crisis – FT.com
• London, interactive map with accommodation prices, by tube station: London property prices by tube line map
• UK, interactive map annual housing costs: Savills UK Blog | Residential Property | Interactive map annual housing costs in England and Wales
• UK, interactive map showing price increase in accommodation: Savills UK Blog | Residential Property | Interactive map 10 year real house price growth
• UK, static table on Housing expenditure Housing expenditure
• UK, static map with price-to-salary ratio: The house prices-to-salaries map which shows why you may never get a mortgage | Money | The Guardian
• UK, interactive database – house price index: Land Registry – search the house price index
• UK, static map with price-to-salary ratio: UK and London house prices mapped: An average wage in Blackpool will buy you less than two square metres in Chelsea | City A.M.
• UK, interactive map with influence of nearest universities to housing costs: Graphic reveals how the best schools in England drive up property values  | Daily Mail Online

Crime rates, UK

• UK, interactive: crime rates map: England crime map: annual crime rates | illustreets
• UK, interactive: crime rates map: UK Crime Heatmap

Social life

• UK, static maps with various personality types: Where does my personality fit in? – BBC News
• UK, static maps: Various social classes: Huge survey reveals seven social classes in UK – BBC News; for full study, please visit: A New Model of Social Class: Findings from the BBC’s Great British Class Survey Experiment
• UK, interactive map: current population age and future trends: The UK’s ageing population: Use this interactive map to see the country’s average age getting older | City A.M.
• UK, interactive graph – Religious demographics: Religion
• UK, interactive graph – Ethnicity demographics: Ethnicity
• UK, interactive map: Single people: Census Analysis – Single People – ONS
• UK, interactive map: population Census work day population
• UK, interactive map: International passport holders: Census map analysis – Passports – ONS
• UK, interactive map: Country of birth: Census map analysis – Country of Birth – ONS
• UK, interactive map: Short-term residents: Census map analysis – Short-term residents – ONS
• UK, interactive map: Sound map – Accents & dialects | British Library – Sounds
• International, graph – Different types of cultures: “The Culture Map”: 8 Scales For Work – Business Insider

Air quality levels across the UK

The map below shows the locations of the Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) across the UK and which local authorities have AQMAs declared (source – Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database).

• UK, interactive map: Air Pollution in United Kingdom;
• UK, interactive map: Pollution forecast;
• UK, interactive map: Interactive monitoring networks map;
• Study, London: Understanding the Health Impacts of Air Pollution in London;
• Article, London: London becomes first world city to quantify the health effects of nitrogen dioxide NO2 | Greenway;
• General web sites to consult on the matter: Defra, Air Quality England, HealthyAir, London Air.

Smaller factors to be considered

• International, static charts about nurses salaries in various countries: Doctors’ and nurses’ salaries.
• UK, interactive maps of climate (temperature in all UK, all year round): UK climate information – Met Office
• International, interactive maps of climate (please click on table cells): Weather Conditions and Climate Statistics (Averages and Records)
• UK, interactive map of Hospitals: Find UK Hospitals Inside a Radius
• UK, static list of hospitals: List of hospitals in England – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• UK, interactive map of Universities: UK Active Map of Universities and HE Institutions
• UK, interactive map of Universities: UK University Map
• Lots of statistics about UK: [ARCHIVED CONTENT] 2011 Census Interactive – ONS
• UK, interactive map – Unemployment: [ARCHIVED CONTENT] Census Map – Labour Market – ONS
• UK, interactive graph: an average household expenditure: How much do households spend per week?
• UK, table, static: taxes: Tax map of Britain shows middle-class towns clobbered by the Treasury | Daily Mail Online
• UK, static table – transportation: UK transport mapped: Every bus stop, train station, ferry port and taxi rank in Britain. Welcome to the ultimate transport data | News | The Guardian
• UK, interactive map: list of airports in the UK: The Airport Guides – Air Travel Made Easy
• UK, interactive map: tourist attractions Via Michelin: tourist attractions viamichelin.co.uk
• UK, interactive map: What to visit in the UK? Places to visit in UK countries – holiday destinations & tourist map
• UK, interactive map: What do people tend to eat, across the UK? The Foods of England –    Food Map of England
• UK, static list of cities with cultural attractions: England’s best cultural cities: From Newcastle to Portsmouth, these iconic metropolises offer visitors a host of treats | Daily Mail Online

Other factors to be considered when deciding to move, for which we couldn’t provide any external data, and which you will need to factor in for yourself

• International, article: How to decide where to live | Penelope Trunk Careers
• International, article: How to Decide Where to Live | The Art of Manliness

As a final suggestion, think about the other factors you might want to take into account, and try on other ‘hats’ than just data: