SWINDON is a better place to work than Oxford, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Liverpool and Birmingham, according to a new survey.

With a claimed 'median base salary' of £35,525, and an average home value of £235.5k, jobs website Glassdoor puts Swindon at number 10 in its top 20 list of the best places to work this year.

Its list is based on how easy it is to get a job, affordability of housing and employee satisfaction.

'Hot jobs' in the town are given as sales rep, store manager and civil engineer.

Top pick was Cambridge, followed by Milton Keynes and Nottingham with London coming outside the top 20 in this year's list.

"Cambridge has long had a reputation for one of Britain's most-loved cities, but now it's emerged as a prime spot for hi-tech companies which is clearly having an impact on where people decide to live and work," said Dr Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor's chief economist.

"These results are a reminder that although there are more jobs in London and employees are generally pretty satisfied, it is a competitive place to work and an expensive place to live.

"Towns and cities such as Nottingham, Leeds and Reading offer decent salaries and job prospects combined with a lower cost of living which means your money will go further, you can save, and still have a good quality of life."

Glassdoor's 20 best towns and cities to work in for 2016 are:

1. Cambridge - Population: 145,818; Median base salary: £35,000; Average home value: £436,932; Hot jobs: software engineer, chef, sales rep.

2. Milton Keynes - Population: 171,750; Median base salary: £36,000; Average home value: £292,692; Hot jobs: store manager, management consultant, business development manager.

3. Nottingham - Population: 289,301; Median base salary: £27,814; Average home value: £181,974; Hot jobs: sales manager, business analyst, software engineer.

4. Leeds - Population: 474,632; Median base salary: £30,000; Average home value: £195,370; Hot jobs: recruitment consultant, chef, project manager.

5. Peterborough - Population: 161,707; Median base salary: £34,755; Average home value: £210,571; Hot jobs: product manager, store manager, bartender.

6. Coventry - Population: 325,949; Median base salary: £35,000; Average home value: £184,397; Hot jobs: maintenance engineer, sales manager, customer service adviser.

7. Reading - Population: 218,705; Median base salary: £43,000; Average home value: £430,503; Hot jobs: sales associate, sales rep, technical support engineer.

8. Bradford - Population: 349,561; Median base salary: £28,350; Average home value: £124,760; Hot Jobs: customer services adviser, operations manager, technician.

9. Northampton - Population: 215,173; Median base salary: £35,000; Average home value: £226,661; Hot jobs: finance manager, recruitment consultant, bus driver.

10. Swindon - Population: 182,441; Median base salary: £35,525; Average home value: £235,507; Hot jobs: sales rep, store manager, civil engineer.

11. Manchester - Population: 510,746; Median base salary: £28,000; Average home value: £166,951; Hot jobs: project manager, sales manager, business development manager.

12. Aberdeen - Population: 195,021; Median base salary: £43,000; Average home value: £222,323; Hot jobs: tax manager, site engineer, SAP consultant.

13. Warrington - Population: 165,456; Median base salary: £30,000; Average home value: £201,077; Hot jobs: buyer, project manager, HR manager.

14. Bristol - Population: 535,907; Median base salary: £32,000; Average home value: £297,657; Hot jobs: software engineer, project manager, product manager.

15. Glasgow - Population: 590,507; Median base salary: £26,500; Average home value: £168,797; Hot jobs: research assistant, sales representative, security officer.

16. Edinburgh - Population: 459,366; Median base salary: £30,000; Average home value: £259,860; Hot jobs: business analyst, sales rep, recruitment consultant.

17. Oxford - Population: 159,994; Median base salary: £32,000; Average home value: £502,452; Hot jobs: personal banking adviser, project manager, research scientist.

18. Liverpool - Population: 552,267; Median base salary: £26,000; Average home value: £159,121; Hot jobs: recruitment consultant, audiologist, sales administrator.

19. Birmingham - Population: 1,085,810; Median base salary: £30,000; Average home value: £177,941; Hot jobs: finance manager, sales manager, business analyst.

20. Derby - Population: 255,394; Median base salary: £33,727; Average home value: £190,236; Hot jobs: tax manager, registered nurse, accountant.