Here are some of the cheapest places to live that have great employment opportunities in the UK.
1. Birmingham
Birmingham is a great place to live and work. House prices in Birmingham are very affordable compared to some areas in the UK. Even in the City centre, you can pick up something for a reasonable price. Birchfield and Walsall are a few areas where you can find properties at a good price. You can purchase, typically, a 3 bedroom house in Birchfield, from £175 000.
| Birmingham | Figures |
|---|---|
| Area: Birchfield, Walsall | |
| 3 bedroom house to buy (from) | £175 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to buy (from) | £54 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to rent (from) | £550 p/m |
| Average salary | £39 400 |
Birmingham is currently the best place in the UK, to find work. As well as your regular job sectors such as customer service, retail, administration and hospitality. There are also media and engineering jobs in Birmingham.
2. Manchester
After, Birmingham, it is Manchester that you should be moving to in order to find a cheap place to live that has great employment opportunities.
There are lots of areas in Manchester where there are moderately affordable properties to buy. However, we have chosen Gorton and Clayton, to find properties.
| Manchester | Figures |
|---|---|
| Area: Gorton, Clayton | |
| 3 bedroom house to buy (from) | £160 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to buy (from) | £100 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to rent (from) | £660 p/m |
| Average salary | £38 500 |
Manchester follows London, for business and finance sectors; hence, there are lots of jobs available within these sectors. And, related sectors such as Information Technology. There are also job opportunities available in sectors such as retail and customer service.
3. Liverpool
Liverpool is a great opportunity to work and buy a property. It is amongst the fastest growing local regions in the UK. We have chosen Bootle to look at properties.
Bootle is a seaside resort and was a suburb where dockers lived. If you are going there for work, you can rent in the city centre a 2 bedroom flat for around £550 p/m.
| Liverpool | Figures |
|---|---|
| Area: Bootle | |
| 3 bedroom house to buy (from) | £80 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to buy (from) | £50 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to rent (from) | £500 p/m |
| Average salary | £35 800 |
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.
Considering that you can buy a 2 bedroom flat for around £50 000 and the average salary is £35 800, you have an excellent opportunity to be a property owner. There are even 2 bedroom flats available for £40 000.
4. Leeds
Leeds is the UK’s third largest city. And, it is a good place with opportunities to work and has affordable properties compared to some regions in the UK. We have chosen Holbeck and Wortley, but there are also areas where you can buy a 3 bedroom property for £95 000.
| Leeds | Figures |
|---|---|
| Area: Holbeck, Wortley | |
| 3 bedroom house to buy (from) | £130 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to buy (from) | £75 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to rent (from) | £595 p/m |
| Average salary | £35 300 |
Leeds is the UK’s fastest growing city and finance and business accounts for 38% of the jobs and industries in Leeds (leeds.gov.uk). There are also jobs in sectors like hospitality, health and construction. If you compare the price of a 2 bedroom property (£75, 000) to the average annual salary of £35 300, the property price to average yearly income ratio is 2:1, which is excellent if you wanted to be a property owner.
Leeds has all the employment sectors you would expect from a large city including finance, business, retail, digital industries, construction and manufacturing.
5. Edinburgh
Edinburgh is a nice place to live, it is expensive, but not as expensive as London. We have chosen Dalkeith to look at properties, but you could also get 2 bedroom flats in the centre of the city for around £150 000. Edinburgh also is the place to be in Scotland for job opportunities, with an average annual salary £33 700, which is the highest in any part of Scotland.
| Edinburgh | Figures |
|---|---|
| Area: Dalkeith | |
| 3 bedroom house to buy (from) | £165 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to buy (from) | £110 000 |
| 2 bedroom flat to rent (from) | £795 p/m |
| Average salary | £33 700 |
Edinburg is the powerhouse of the Scottish economy and has always been renowned for finance industries and banking. Finance and banking, is still a good sector for jobs in the city. There are also jobs available in a variety of sectors, including technology and retail.
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
Additional information
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