Brighton and Hove has been named one of the best cities in the country in which to be young.

The city edged ahead of London, Leeds and Manchester to be named the seventh best city for youngsters to live in, according to a new survey.

However, in a blow to its credentials, Brighton and Hove ranked below less fashionable East Midlands cities Coventry and Leicester.

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The city ranked highly as a good place to find work and to enjoy the surroundings but less well in terms of finances for those aged 18 to 30.

According to Legal & General’s new UK Today: Best City to be Young report, Brighton and Hove ranks second highest for wages in the UK with workers earning an average of £22,362 – more than £1,000 a year above the UK average.

Despite the higher wages, Brighton and Hove youngsters were the worst savers – possibly because of the high cost of renting and living, stashing away just £88.40 a month compared to Newcastle youngsters who managed to squirrel away more than three times that monthly amount.

However, the city scored well on aesthetical appearance and access to open space, coming second only to Edinburgh.

The city also ranks third in the country for job opportunities, with just 3.5% unemployment compared with the national average of 5.3%.

Brighton resident Daniel Searle, 29, said: “There are plenty of obvious reasons why Brighton’s great for young folks – lots of live music, club nights, bars and art events.

“It’s also nice that the city has plenty of 20- and 30-somethings, it’s not a segregated community consisting of students living among a population of disgruntled old people.

Expensive “The city is very expensive though, so for students and the younger young people it can be a frustrating place, as after you’ve paid extortionate rent, there’s often not much money left for your £4.60 pints of locally-sourced craft beer.

“Similarly for slightly older young folk. When it comes to the age of looking to buy a place, you pretty much have to look further afield – Worthing at the very least.”

Mike Lawler, director of Legal & General’s general insurance business, said “For the young adults in Brighton the research shows that they live in a city that is in the top ten for quality of life and that the city has a lot to offer young adults, such as job opportunities, culture and entertainment and a great local environment, all factors that 18- to 30-year-olds deem important to their lifestyle.”