Living standards in parts of the North are as high as in the South

The bank looked at salaries and living costs to assess which areas enjoyed the highest living standards.

Areas in London came top, but nearly half the best 50 locations were in the north, including parts of Cheshire, Sheffield and Leeds.

Barclays said the study "blew away" the idea you have to live in London or the South East for high living standards.

Standards assessed

The group found people in the south of England still enjoyed higher salaries than those in the north of England and Wales.

If the cost of living is factored into the equation... the wealth map of England and Wales changes dramatically Mark Till, Barclays

But when living costs were factored in to reach an assessment of standards of living, then the North-South divide closed markedly.

In total 24 of the 50 areas with the highest living standards were north of the line between the Severn and the Wash.

The highest placed northern area was Tatton in Cheshire, which came third.

Other parts of the North to make it into the top ten included Sheffield Hallam, Altringham and Sale.

Macclesfield, Harrogate, Hexham, and Haltemprice and Howden all missed out on a top 10 slot but made it into the top 20.

"Simply looking at earnings would tell you that it is London and the south east that are paved with gold," said Mark Till, Barclays spokesman.

"However, this is not the only factor which determines how wealthy any individual actually feels.

"If the cost of living is factored into the equation... the wealth map of England and Wales changes dramatically."

TOP 20 AREAS IN ENGLAND AND WALES BY LIVING STANDARDS
Region	Area	Average earnings	Earnings after living costs
London	Kensington & Chelsea	�50,438	�50,438
London	Cities of London and Westminster	�41,868	�41,868
North West	Tatton	�32,763	�41,466
Yorkshire	Sheffield, Hallam	�29,738	�39,697
South West	Cotswold	�30,770	�38,295
South East	Beaconsfield	�37,152	�38,102
Yorkshire	Leeds North East	�28,415	�37,931
North West	Altrincham and Sale	�29,582	�37,440
London	Richmond Park	�37,203	�37,203
North West	Macclesfield	�29,301	�37,085
South East	Esher and Walton	�36,054	�36,975
South East	Mole Valley	�36,043	�36,964
South East	South West Surrey	�35,791	�36,705
West Midlands	Stratford-on-Avon	�27,753	�35,873
Yorkshire	Harrogate and Knaresborough	�26,870	�35,833
East Midlands	West Derbyshire	�28,574	�35,471
West Midlands	Warwick	�27,241	�35,212
Yorkshire	Haltemprice	�26,376	�35,209
South East	Maidenhead	�34,305	�35,182
East Midlands	Rushcliffe	�28,307	�35,137
Source: Barclays