The most romantic cities in the UK

Analysing the cities that have purchased the most engagement rings within the last year, data also reveals the cities that have spent the the most on engagement rings.

When looking at which cities had purchased the most rings online from Ernest Jones in 2021, we found the following came out top:

When analysing sales X population (with a minimum of 15,000 people) findings show that the cities successful in love are:

The market town of Newbury in Berkshire came out top, buying the most rings (per person) in the UK. Closely followed by Maidenhead. Up North we have cities like Carlisle, York, and Salford, all showing the love this year more so than other cities in the UK!

As we approach the most romantic day of the year, do the top UK romantic cities stay the same, or do we see different cities fighting for the spotlight? We looked at ring sales data for the month of February in 2021, So let’s see what we found…

With just a slight shuffle in the order and one drop off, these locations have truly shown us they’re the romantic cities of the UK. Newbury, Maidenhead and Rochdale secure the top 3 spots again, and while Carlisle is knocked down 2 positions, Grimsby enters the top 10 eliminating Beighton off the list.  You certainly know where to visit now if you’re searching for some cupid magic!  

As tradition goes, it’s said that you should spend three months’ salary on an engagement ring for your loved one. The amount of this can vary between jobs and how much people earn, but as times have changed, some people dismiss this tradition and choose to spend what they feel comfortable with.

Of course, some people want to go above and beyond, but the most important thing to do when choosing a ring is to set yourself a realistic budget of what you can afford and are willing to spend and go from there. Engagement ring prices can vary by a number of factors including the style, design, stone and even more – therefore setting your budget should be the first thing you do.

So, which cities in the UK have we found are the big spenders and is it what you thought they’d be? Below we’ve put together a list of the top 10 cities in the UK with the highest average order value when purchasing a ring from Ernest Jones.

As part of a study we ran in 2021 of people who had got engaged recently or were in the market to get engaged, we found that 51% of people looking to propose or be proposed to thought that paying between £500 and £2000 is reasonable for an engagement ring. So while we only have one city at the top of the big spenders list with an AOV of £2,505, the following top spenders are all sitting at the low £1,000 - £1,500 mark, proving that the 3 month wage price tag is definitely a thing of the past.

These magnificent castles combined with the rolling hills and lochs show the beauty of Scotland