As London rentals are the most expensive in the country, northern cities offer much more bang for your buck for property size, build, amenities, and cost of living.
The comparison website GoCompare recently released a 3D 360-degree tool that reveals the type of property the average weekly rent in London will get you in the different boroughs in the capital and a selection of cities across the country. The search function also allows you to compare any rental type or strictly homes or flats.
London’s astronomical rental prices
The average rent for an entire property in London costs £2,885 a month or £666 if you break it down per week. And often these properties are small, two-bedroom flats around 600 to 800 square feet. For example, in Westminster, you can get a 720-square-foot two-bedroom flat with a balcony and communal garden for the average rent in all of London. Near Kew Gardens, Richmond upon Thames has two-bedroom flats at 831 square feet at the same cost.
Look to the north for more value
Across the UK, especially in the north, you can find spacious rentals in prime city locations with four to seven bedrooms for the same price and sometimes even less than the average rental cost in London. Leeds and Manchester offer the most spacious options with properties from 1,300 to 1,700 square feet.
In Manchester, you can get a six-bedroom terraced house – split over three floors – with a garden for the average cost of a two-bedroom flat in many London boroughs. Additionally, Manchester recently surpassed the capital as the most liveable city in the UK. Leeds is another city that has become a popular place among homebuyers and renters. There you can rent a four-floor split property with seven bedrooms, allowing renters to get much more for their monthly rent than in London.
With the average rental cost of a small flat in the capital, you would be able to rent a four-bedroom detached home with a double garage, conservatory, spacious garden, and a new kitchen in Birmingham. On top of that, because of the city’s rise in newer properties, low crime rates, and almost no flood risk, Birmingham was recently named the UK’s safest city to live in. Then, over in Liverpool, a four-bedroom barn conversion with a grand entrance hall, double garage, and gym room will cost the average rent for a two-bedroom flat in London.
With London’s high price tag for even small properties, Britons are looking to the north for better value in rentals, homes, and investments. Not only can you rent larger flats and homes in northern cities, but the properties also often have more amenities, making renters’ money go a lot further.
