Are there alternatives to living in the city for someone in their mid twenties?

[Fritatayay]

No partner, no real friendship group. Struggling a bit with loneliness and identity. I dread the weekends.
I want to move. All I can think of to help things is living in a city. But I can't really afford it yet.
Have a lovely garden flat where I am. If I move to the city it will be back into a shared house (which I hated at uni) with no chance of saving for travel or a deposit.
Just seems like such a hard choice.
Nearest nightlife is an hour plus away.

Which area? What about outskirts of town, 20-30 mins out and a bus ride in

Join a group. It sounds cliche but it works. Netball if you like it. A running club (there are lots of beginner clubs if you're new to it). A book club if that's more your thing. And say yes to absolutely everything / go to everything. Put yourself out there and you'll be fine, don't feel downbeat!

@sooostressed price doesn't really change much

What about having a look at some shared house options, without committing to the idea of moving for definite? So you could wait and see if some nice housemates come up, people you think you'd get on with/become friends with. That could influence your decision of whether to move or not.

Definitely agree with suggestion to join groups. Even if you don't make friends there directly, it's something interesting to do and social contact which helps.

I lived semi rurally in my 20s and found it was joining groups and trying different things and generally doing things I wanted to do, until I found people I got on with. I also did extra jobs which filled my time, got me extra money and meant I met people outside my day job.

What changed it most was when I met my husband (he moved in next door). You could try dating apps and meetup groups too.

@MessageOnAWall I don't really find likeminded people in this area. People are a bit close minded and don't like to talk.

Another vote for joining clubs, sports, volunteering, activity groups. Great way to keep busy

Don't move to a city unless you want to. City life doesn't suit everyone. And, plenty of lonely people in cities too

@GOODCAT I already have two jobs, I thought it would help with reducing time at home.

Many of us have long periods of loneliness OP, and things can change.🙂

Might you reassess the shared-house thing? It could work out better than you fear. Just be discerning in where you choose and don't expect housemates to be your best friends straightaway. Be willing to be social and picks a few things to do to keep you busy out of work. It's much more common to do solo activities in the city, too.

Is there a healthy medium where you move a bit closer to a place with a nightlife but still affordable?

Move to a city with a uni up north. Sheffield, Manchester, Newcastle etc.

Which city? Where (approximately?) do you live now — town, village etc? What kind of ‘nightlife’ are you after?

So I live in the south west at the moment. The city is the biggest in the south west. I live an hours drive away in a town in somerset. I think if I moved to the suburbs of said city it wouldn't be much different to here, still not somewhere with many young people to talk to and socialise with.