Young professionals are scouring a city looking for places to set up home.

Brighton and Hove is the most popular place in the country, outside London, for successful urbanites. Research from Lloyds TSB looked at home sales made to professionals aged between 25 and 44 in the year to February 2012, using Land Registry figures as a base.

Andy Garth, former president of the Brighton and Hove Estate Agents Association, said the survey underlined the fact that Brighton and Hove has all the amenities that successful young people are looking for. He said: “It’s great news for the city. Brighton and Hove is a great place to live. It always has been and it always will be. We have the sea, the nightlife and the weather – and we are cheaper than the capital.”

Julia Chanteray, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s no surprise that Brighton and Hove is the most popular place outside Lon don for young professionals. Not only have we such a cool, vibrant and diverse city with a strong social ethos but also one which is bucking the national trends in terms of jobs and economic growth.

“It’s a place where businesses still thrive, especially those in the fashionable digital and green industries.”

Suren Thiru, housing economist at Lloyds TSB, said: “The typical pro file of young professionals is that they tend to have university qualifications, are in well-paid occupations and like to take full advantage of living in or close to the city, either for work or leisure purposes. Our analysis certainly suggests this to be the case with Brighton as the leading hot spot for young aspiring urbanites.”