"The high cost of city living isn’t restricted to the capital alone, and it’s Newcastle and Edinburgh that currently rank top when it comes to a home mover’s ability to head for the commuter belt and secure savings"
- Steve Foreman - The Property DriveBuy
Analysis from The Property DriveBuy looked at current house prices across 12 major UK cities and compared them with nearby local authorities. The aim was to identify where home movers could find better value when stepping outside city limits.
Newcastle and Edinburgh offer the biggest savings
The findings reveal that every local authority surrounding Newcastle and Edinburgh provides a more affordable route onto the property ladder. Around Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, and Northumberland all offer savings, with Gateshead giving the largest discount at 26% below Newcastle’s average price of £205,592.
Edinburgh’s surrounding areas also provide cheaper alternatives, with West Lothian standing out. Homes there cost 24% less than the Edinburgh average, offering a notable affordability boost for prospective buyers.
London still offers significant discounts
London ranks third for commuter belt affordability. Fifteen of the capital’s 17 surrounding local authorities offer lower prices than the city’s £561,587 average. Thurrock provides the largest reduction at £324,258, more than 42% below London’s average. Slough and Dartford also deliver notable savings of 38% and 36% respectively.
Leeds and Cardiff round out the top five, with around three-quarters of their commuter belt districts offering lower prices than the cities themselves. Bradford provides the largest reduction near Leeds at 24%, while Rhondda Cynon Taf offers homes 41% cheaper than Cardiff.
Liverpool’s commuter belt is more expensive
At the other end of the spectrum, Liverpool’s surrounding areas are more expensive than the city itself. Cheshire West and Chester, for example, sits 44% above Liverpool’s average of £181,809, making the commuter belt a less attractive option for buyers hoping to save.
Across all 12 cities, the largest single savings from moving into a commuter belt are found in Thurrock, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Bradford. These figures highlight the variation in affordability across the UK and the importance of location when considering a move outside a city.
“The London commuter belt is perhaps the most talked about given the notoriety of the capital’s housing market when it comes to bricks and mortar values and London certainly offers the greatest variety, in terms of bordering local authorities, not to mention one of the largest potential savings when moving from the capital to somewhere like Thurrock," explained Steve Foreman, founder and CEO of The Property DriveBuy.
He added, “However, the high cost of city living isn’t restricted to the capital alone, and it’s Newcastle and Edinburgh that currently rank top when it comes to a home mover’s ability to head for the commuter belt and secure savings."
“That said, a commuter belt move doesn’t guarantee a cheaper purchase, as proven in Liverpool, where all surrounding local authorities are home to higher average house prices. But searching for a new area can be tricky, particularly when we rely on the property portals and their often outdated search parameters.
“For those expanding their horizons, searching for a new home in an unknown area can be tricky. Using geo-location search tools can be a great way to ensure your search is as comprehensive as it can be whilst navigating the commuter belt in person, as geo-location-based platforms will ensure that you don’t miss out on the perfect home, simply because it sits just beyond the traditional search restrictions of the major portals.”
