As Brits battle against soaring house prices, increasing food costs and higher energy bills, many may look to relocate to a budget-friendly location. For those considering a change, Middlesbrough has been ranked as the most affordable city in the UK. New research from takepayments has revealed the 10 most affordable places to live, with the top three spots all being in the North East. 

34 UK cities were analysed and ranked an affordability score out of 10 to determine the most and least expensive places to live. Looking at 14 different measures of affordability, including property prices, public transport costs, the average salary and the price of the pint, the study showed Middlesbrough coming out on top with a score of 6.5/10.  

Although the salaries and disposable income in these North Eastern cities were amongst the lowest in the study, the affordability of essential and non-essential expenses boosted their affordability significantly.  

On the other end of the scale, the least affordable city, outside of London, is Brighton, ranking just 3.5/10. Brighton has the highest property prices outside London, an average of £420,181. 

The seaside resort and Bristol were found to be the most expensive cities, ranking amongst the most costly locations for factors including rent prices, average yearly electricity bill and the cost of a monthly bus pass.

The research highlights that property and rent prices, in particular, are currently driving unaffordability in UK cities. However, the cheapest property prices were found in Aberdeen at £134,368, with the Scottish city ranking 5th for affordability overall. 

Although London, Brighton and Bristol have some of the highest average yearly salaries, their high living costs outweigh the benefits of higher earnings.

Manchester and Leeds were the only northern cities to appear in the top 10 most unaffordable cities in the study with essential expenses ranking poorly for affordability. 

In Northern Ireland, cities ranked high for affordability - especially for transport costs. Belfast had the lowest petrol prices, whilst Belfast, Lisburn and Derry have the most affordable monthly bus passes in the UK.

Jodie Wilkinson, Head of Strategic Partnerships at takepayments said: “While London remains the least affordable city, what’s striking is how other cities - particularly in the North - are catching up when it comes to high living costs. 

“While affordability is high in Middlesbrough, Sunderland, and Newcastle, these cities also rank among the lowest for disposable income and wages.”

The 10 most affordable locations:

1. Middlesborough 

2. Sunderland 

3. Newcastle 

4. Lisburn 

5. Warrington 

6. Aberdeen 

7. Norwich 

8. Glasgow 

9. Wolverhampton 

10. Leicester