Research by Our Life Plan takes an in-depth look into saving habits and the cost of living worldwide to reveal which cities are dying with the most money and are dying in debt.
As Benjamin Franklin once said: ‘Nothing is certain except death and taxes.’ No matter where you live in the world, there is one universal truth (no matter how hard we try to cheat it), and that is that death is inevitable.
From pinching pennies to investing, we all work hard to add to our pension so that our retirement is filled with nothing but ease and enjoyment. However, running out of money is a serious concern for many of us to the extent that some don’t spend as freely as we can when we can finally enjoy it.
But how likely are you to outlive your savings? Knowing that we can’t take our money to the grave, a new study by Our Life Plan takes an in-depth look into saving habits and the cost of living to find which cities are outliving their cash.
The five cities dying with the most amount of money:
Rank | City | Average life expectancy | Money at death (£) |
1 | Bern | 83 | £306,781 |
2 | Luxembourg | 82 | £298,856 |
3 | Australia | 83 | £283,110 |
4 | Washington D.C. | 79 | £196,302 |
5 | Oslo | 83 | £178,841 |
Dying with £306,781 per person, the Swiss capital city has been revealed as the city dying with the most money. Home to the scenic Oeschinen Lake, Bern has an average age expectancy of 83, the second-highest after Tokyo (84). From 18 to 65, residents living in Bern have the highest disposable income against all other countries.
The Irish capital Dublin finished off the cities dying with the most amount of money. Centred on a river and edged by a beautiful bay, Dublin places in tenth place and is expected to leave behind £78,968 when residents pass away at an average age of 82.
At the end of the scale, we have Seoul. Living to the ripe old age of 83, habitants of Seoul are not leaving anything behind for loved ones to share – in fact, and they are dying in debt. Looking at the data, we found that Seoul residents are nearly £500,000 in debt when they pass away.
But they aren’t the only ones. Nine other cities have topped the chart of dying with the most debt. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the UK’s capital London has placed in the eighth position. Leaving behind a debt of £243,445, Londoners have an average life expectancy of 83.
Rank | City | Average life expectancy | Money at death (£) |
1 | Seoul | 83 | -£494,027 |
2 | Mexico City | 76 | -£378,734 |
3 | Hungary | 76 | – £337,491 |
4 | Ankara | 79 | -£312,978 |
5 | Paris | 83 | -£270,752 |
Bradford ranks as the UK city dying with the most
Determined to find out how this looks closer to home, we have taken a look into the spending and saving habits of different cities around the UK to reveal where Brits are leaving the biggest sum of money when they pass away.
Rank | City | Average life expectancy | Money at death (£) |
1 | Bradford | 80 | £159,920 |
2 | Sunderland | 79 | £156,205 |
3 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 80 | £153,707 |
4 | Belfast | 79 | £150,302 |
5 | Hull | 78 | £143,029 |
Bradford comes in at the top with an average life expectancy of 80; those living in this West Yorkshire city are expected to leave behind a huge £159,920. Following in second place is Sunderland, living a year shorter than those in Bradford (79). Mackem is abandoning £156,204 when they die.
Londoners are the only UK residents dying in debt
Rank | City | Average life expectancy | Money at death (£) |
1 | London | 83 | -£243,445 |
2 | Brighton and Hove | 81 | £33,436 |
3 | Wakefield | 80 | £61,614 |
4 | Glasgow | 76 | £77,781 |
5 | Bristol | 81 | £79,272 |
It comes as no surprise that the UK’s capital London has come in the first place. Due to their high cost of living (£2,270), Londoners are the only Brits dying in debt. Living two years longer than the rest of the UK, those living in London are expected to leave behind a whopping debt of £243,445 when they pass away at 83.
With an average life expectancy of 81, Brighton and Hove’s residents are leaving behind the smallest amount of money (£33,436), with Brits in Wakefield rounding off the bottom three dying with £61,614 at the age of 80.
Ian Wright, founder of Our Life Plan, comments: ‘Dying with too much money is just as troublesome as dying with not enough. Our findings show many cities are leaving behind a surplus of cash when they pass away, and without proper planning – like making a will – it can be difficult for loved ones to access what you have left behind.’
‘Although it’s not a pleasant thought, planning for our death is just as important as planning for our retirement. It may help to speak with a financial expert to help sort out your financial affairs so that the burden is not left to your family.’
‘The same applies to leaving behind debt. Varying on the type of debt and the country different rules apply – being well informed on how it can affect your family is very important as not all debts disappear when you die.’
