Where are the Most Affordable Places to Move to in The UK?

In this week’s home moving blog, we will look at where you could move to in the UK so that you will get more home for your money and where the quality of life may be far better for you.

To help you choose an ideal place to move to we have a whole section of guides about moving to the regions and cities of the UK. Be sure to check them out.

So now you can stop dreaming, start reading, and prepare to change your life forever!

Where are the Most Affordable Places to Live in the UK?

Where you live in the UK can have a significant effect on how much home you can get for your money.

So in this first section, we will look at the average price of a home in the UK.

Whilst average home prices will give you a good indication, if you are looking for a 1 bedroom flat in an area that is predominately 3 bedroom family homes, then the average price will be of little use.

Choosing to live outside the city often reduces the price of a home even more, but this list will point you to the right geographical area.

You may also like to read: How to Decide Where to Live Next. In this guide, we suggest 12 things to take into consideration when choosing where to move to.

Which is the Cheapest City in the UK For First-Time Buyers?

According to data supplied by www.rightmove.co.uk, these are the cheapest cities for first-time buyers in the UK.

You can check out the full report at the link above.

• Aberdeen £102,601
• Bradford £107,929
• Sunderland £111,263
• Carlisle £111,268
• Preston £112,273

You may also like to read: How to Find a New Housing Development. Many first-time buyers choose to move into a new-build home. In this guide, we show you some trade websites where you can find new developments before they are built, when the next phase is released, and a really useful website where you can find developments even by independent builders.

What is the Cheapest Region of the UK to Buy Property?

According to data taken from www.gov.uk and www.ons.gov.uk in August 2024, these are the average cost of homes in the UK by region.

• North East £159,000
• Northern Ireland £178,000
• Scotland £191,000
• Yorkshire and The Humber £210,000
• Wales £214,000
• North West £217,000
• East Midlands £242,000
• West Midlands £246,000
• South West £316,000
• East England £342,000
• South East £373,000
• London £500,000

You may also like to read: Is Life Better in the Countryside, the Suburbs, or the City? In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of living in different environments.

Where is the Cheapest Place in the UK to Rent a Home?

Many people now consider renting a home to be a better option than buying, and renting gives you far more flexibility if you need to move around the country for your job or education for example.

Renting a home also allows you to fully explore a new area before committing to buying, so it makes a lot of sense for many people.

These are the cheapest places to rent in the UK as reported by www.rightmove.co.uk in August 2024. You can click on the link to see the full report.

• Carlisle £607
• Hull £638
• Sunderland £648
• Stoke-on-Trent £701
• Doncaster £707

You may also like to read: Things to Know When Moving Into a Rented Property for the First Time. In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about renting a home, from contracts to checklists to questions to ask a landlord, you will find this guide invaluable.

Which are the Most Affordable Universities in the UK?

According to a study by www.study.eu, these are the cheapest universities in the UK to study at.

• Leeds Trinity
• Liverpool Hope
• Queen Margaret Edinburgh
• University of Bolton
• University of Chester

You may also like to read: Everything You Need to Know About Moving to College or University. From packing tips to settling into college life, this guide will make the transition so much easier and cheaper for you.

Where is the Cheapest Cost of Living in the UK?

When deciding where to move home the local cost of living is also worth considering.

Whilst homes may be cheap, often the cost of living is higher, especially in more rural areas where the shops have less competition and it costs more to transport items.

So this is an important factor when deciding where to move home.

Here is a list of the cities with the cheapest cost of living in the UK to the most expensive, as of August 2024.

• A family of 4 living in Belfast would need about £2,616 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Belfast would need about £735 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Leeds would need about £2,677 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Leeds would need about £782 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Newcastle would need about £2,703 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Newcastle would need about £798 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Bournemouth would need about £2,700 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Bournemouth would need about £719 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Leicester would need about £2,701 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Leicester would need about £831 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Cardiff would need about £2,639 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Cardiff would need about £778 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Glasgow would need about £2,887 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Glasgow would need about £857 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Liverpool would need about £2,818 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Liverpool would need about £849 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Southampton would need about £2,835 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Southampton would need about £838 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Manchester would need about £2,912 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Manchester would need about £851 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Nottingham would need about £2,753 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Nottingham would need about £810 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Birmingham would need about £2,571 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Birmingham would need about £763 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Edinburgh would need about £3,094 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Edinburgh would need about £903 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Bristol would need about £2,814 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Bristol would need about £823 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Oxford would need about £2,430 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Aberdeen would need about £2,498 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Aberdeen would need about £704 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Oxford would need about £3,031 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Oxford would need about £898 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in Cambridge would need about £3,067 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in Cambridge would need about £885 per month excluding rent
• A family of 4 living in London would need about £3,780 per month excluding rent
• A single person living in London would need about £1,087 per month excluding rent

The average cost of living data was taken from www.numbeo.com.  

You can also use the same website to compare living costs between your hometown and where you would like to move to.

You may also like to read: Which is More Important: House or Location? 31 Things to Consider. In this guide, we suggest 31 things to consider when choosing a home over a location or vice versa.

What is the Average Salary by Region In the UK?

When making your decision as to where to move home you may be interested to know what the average weekly wages are across the UK.

Here we list the highest to lowest average salary for each part of the UK.

• The average salary in London is £44,370
• The average salary in the South East is £36,560
• The average salary in Scotland is £35,518
• The average salary in the East is £34,833
• The average salary in the South West is £33,450
• The average salary in the North West £33,036
• The average salary in the West Midlands is £33,003
• The average salary in Northern Ireland is £32,879
• The average salary in Wales is £32,371
• The average salary in Yorkshire and The Humber is £31,920
• The average salary in the East Midlands is £31,634
• The average salary in the North East is £31,200

The average UK weekly wage data was taken from www.statistica.com August 2024, the latest available data.

You may also like to read: How to Future Proof Your Next Home Move. When everything around us changes so quickly planning for the future seems almost impossible. In this guide, we suggest things to take into consideration when trying to future-proof your next home move.

What is the Average Disposable Income by Region in the UK?

Moving home to an area with very cheap property but also very low wages may not make any sense in your particular situation.

A more useful indicator for you may be the disposable income that you could potentially have by moving to a more affordable part of the UK.

After taking into account the average cost of living and average wages, what is the average disposable income of households across the UK?

The Office of National Statistics has published the latest Gross Disposal Household Income. Here is a list of the regions with the most to least disposable income.

• London £31,094
• South East £24,623
• East of England £22,337
• South West £21,221
• Scotland £19,630
• North West £18,864
• East Midlands £18,956
• West Midlands £18,566
• Yorkshire and the Humberside £18,363
• North East £17,663
• Northern Ireland £17,636
• Wales £18,038

You may also like to read: What Type of Property is Right for Me? In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of various styles of home and look at the average cost of each style.

Where are the Safest Places to Live in the UK?

There are numerous tools you can use to see how safe a certain part of the country is.

A useful tool that gives you the latest crime figures right down to the postcode area can be found at www.police.uk   

According to data published by www.ukgic.com, these are the safest places to live in the UK.

• Edinburgh
• York
• Bath
• Cambridge
• Oxford
• Bristol
• Norwich
• Brighton
• Exeter
• Aberdeen

You may also like to read: Choosing Where to Live: Location, Location, Location. Often, where your home is located even within a postcode area can have an impact on your quality of life. Here we look at the pros and cons of living on a main road, near shops, schools, parks, open fields, next to a river, or a cul-de-sac.

Things to Consider When Moving Home

Whilst pretty much everything comes down to money, there are sure to be other factors that you will want to take into consideration when moving home based on your personal circumstances.

Here are just a few things that you may want to consider before moving home:

Work – Do you need a job or will the lower cost of living and cheaper property prices allow you to retire or take a less well-paid job?

You may also like to read: How to Decide Where to Move for a New Job. In this guide, we look at the best places to live for a range of professions.

Schools – If you have children or are planning on having a family then finding good schools will be important to you.

You may also like to read: Best Places to Move for Your Childs Education. In this guide, we look at not only the best schools but also where you can sign up for further education nd night classes.

Commuting times – If you want to move to a cheaper area but also need to work, then commuting times will be important to you.

www.zoopla.co.uk has a useful tool that will allow you to calculate commuting times, whether by foot, bike, bus, train, or car.

Geography – Is the area you are looking to move to prone to flooding? That may make properties cheap but your household insurance is likely to be astronomic.

You may also like to read: Where to Move In the UK to Avoid Climate Change. This guide includes a useful interactive map that displays how climate change is likely to affect each part of the UK in the coming years.

Tourists – Living in a beautiful part of the country may seem idyllic, but does everyone else in the country think so too and flock to the village at weekends to go walking or sightseeing?

Development – Is the local area earmarked for development? Major redevelopment or investment can impact not only your quality of life but also property prices, both in a positive and negative way.

You can check the local council website for information about new housing developments, roads, or reinvestment plans. Find your local council at www.gov.uk

How Much Does it Cost to Move Home?

The final part of your home moving puzzle will be: how much does it cost to move home?

There are many elements of a home move that will go into determining the final cost:

• How far are you moving?
• How much stuff do you have to move?
• Do you need a packing service?
• Are there any stairs to go up and down?
• Does the lorry need a parking permit?
• How close can the removal van park to your home?
• What time of year or day of the week are you moving?
• Do you have the physical ability to move your things?

Most people would agree that moving home is made so much easier with the help of a good removal company. So in the first instance, you will want to get a quote from a reputable removal firm.

The only way to get an accurate cost for your home move is to request a quote from up to 4 reputable removal companies so that you can compare their prices and services.

Must do: Get a free home moving cost estimate.

And we would recommend that you spend the time browsing our home moving blog where you will find a whole library full of essential information and useful home moving tips.

Good luck with your home move and come back and leave a comment telling us all about the great place you found to live.