Analysis by personal finance website finder.com analysed the 30 largest cities in the UK to find the most cash-friendly areas based on the number of ATMs in each city. The research looked at the total number of ATMs in each city, the number of people per cashpoint and the number of paid vs free ATMs. The full table includes all data for the 30 largest cities in the UK. 

London’s size sets the capital apart from the rest

London is estimated to have 3902 ATMs, ranking it first in the UK for the number of ATMs  per city, perhaps unsurprisingly due to its size. In second place, Belfast has a total of 1812 ATMs. Despite Belfast having less than 5% of London’s population, the Northern Irish city has around half the number of ATMs.

Birmingham trails Belfast in 3rd place, with 1725 ATMs followed by Glasgow with 1285 and Sheffield with 1141. 

The top 5 cities with the lowest number of ATMs are Sunderland (258), Swindon (289), Luton (334), Plymouth (371) and Wolverhampton (378). 

Belfast is one of the most cash-friendly cities

Given Belfast’s size, having over 1800 ATMs places it 2nd for people per ATM with only 188 sharing each cashpoint on average. The only city to beat Belfast in this category is Stoke-on-Trent, with 104 people per ATM, making it the city with the highest proportion of ATMs per person. In third place, Newcastle has an estimated 266 people per ATM, followed by Nottingham and Portsmouth with 318 and 335 respectively. 

Despite having the highest overall number of ATMs, London is top of the list for the highest number of people per ATM with 2249 residents sharing each cash machine. Sunderland comes in 2nd place with 1073 people per ATM, despite being the 18th largest city by population. Leeds comes in 4th place with 851, followed by Bradford with 818 and Plymouth with 720. 

Liverpool has the highest proportion of surcharging ATMs

All cities in the UK have a variety of free and paid ATMs, however, residents in certain areas are more likely to pay a fee when withdrawing money. 

Liverpool has the highest proportion of surcharging ATMs, with an estimated 30% of all ATMs charging a fee. Three cities are tied for 2nd place, with 29% of ATMs in Luton, Manchester and Birmingham charging a fee. Newcastle comes in 5th place, with 26% of ATMs charging a fee. 

Meanwhile, Southampton is the city with the lowest proportion of surcharging ATMs at just 14%, followed by York, Leicester and Reading all with 16%. Belfast is once again favourable for cash lovers, ranking 5th for the lowest proportion of paid ATMs at just 17%.