Here are some of the cheapest places to live that have great employment opportunities in the UK.
1. Birmingham
Birmingham has affordable house prices, although they are slowly increasing. But compare to a lot of areas, it is still reasonably priced for a big city.
We are looking at Birchfield and Walsall as examples of areas where you could find some properties at a good price. In Birchfield you can buy 3 bedroom properties for about £180 000.
| Birmingham | Figures |
|---|---|
| Area: Birchfield, Walsall | |
| 3 bedroom house to buy (from) | £180 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to buy (from) | £55 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to rent (from) | £600 p/m |
| Average salary | £39 400 |
Figures for Birmingham 2022
Presently, Birmingham is the UK’s best place to find work. There are a variety of sectors that employ people in Birmingham these include: retail, customer service, administration, engineering and media.
2. Manchester
Manchester ranks 2nd as a great place to live that also has good opportunities to find work.
There are comparatively lots of areas within Manchester that have affordable properties to buy a house. Here are some properties in Clayton and Gorton.
| Manchester | Figures |
|---|---|
| Area: Gorton, Clayton | |
| 3 bedroom house to buy (from) | £165 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to buy (from) | £105 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to rent (from) | £680 p/m |
| Average salary | £38 500 |
Figures for Manchester 2022
Manchester is 2nd, after London, for finance and business sector jobs. So if you are looking for jobs in these sectors, Manchester could be a good option.
3. Liverpool
Liverpool is amongst the fastest growing regions in the UK. There is also good opportunity to work and buy a property because of the job availability and property prices.
We have chosen Bootle, a seaside resort where dockers used to live, for examples of properties. If you wanted to rent in the city centre, you can do that for around £600 per month.
| Liverpool | Figures |
|---|---|
| Area: Bootle | |
| 3 bedroom house to buy (from) | £85 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to buy (from) | £55 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to rent (from) | £550 p/m |
| Average salary | £35 800 |
Figures for Liverpool 2022
Liverpool has a flourishing local economy, with jobs in education and retail as well as shipping. There are also manufacturing, health and business jobs in the city.
The average salary in Liverpool is £35 800. This should mean buying a two bedroom flat for around £55 000 should be a realistic opportunity.
4. Leeds
UK’s third largest city is Leeds. Leeds also has good job opportunities and affordable housing market compared to some regions in the UK. Here we look at Wortley and Holbeck for the property prices. However in some parts of Leeds you could buy a 3 bedroom property for around £100 000.
| Leeds | Figures |
|---|---|
| Area: Holbeck, Wortley | |
| 3 bedroom house to buy (from) | £135 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to buy (from) | £80 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to rent (from) | £610 p/m |
| Average salary | £35 300 |
Figures for Leeds 2022
Leeds also happens to be UK’s fastest growing city. 38% of the jobs in Leeds are in finance and business (leeds.gov.uk). As well as these, there are jobs in construction, health and hospitality sectors. The average salary in Leeds is £35 000.
Leeds also have jobs in retail, digital industries and manufacturing.
5. Edinburgh
Edinburg is a picturesque place to live. It has lots of places of attraction that draws in lots of visitors to the city. Edinburgh is an expensive city to live but cheaper than London.
A 2 bedroom flat in Edinburgh city centre can be bought for around £160 000. It also has good job opportunities.
| Edinburgh | Figures |
|---|---|
| Area: Dalkeith | |
| 3 bedroom house to buy (from) | £170 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to buy (from) | £115 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to rent (from) | £810 p/m |
| Average salary | £33 700 |
Figures for Edinburgh 2022
Edinburgh has always been know for it’s banking and finance industries. There also jobs available in a variety of sectors including retail and technology.
More places which are cheap to live in with great employment opportunities
Here are some more places, where it’s cheap to live and has good job opportunities:
- Portsmouth
- Southampton
- Cardiff
- Belfast
- Brighton