Buying cheaper than renting.

An interesting article appeared on the Zoopla website yesterday with the headlines ‘Buying cheaper than renting in nearly half of Britain”s major cities’, with Glasgow, Coventry and Birmingham topping the list of places where buying beats renting.

Zoopla’s Lawrence Hall explained: “On top of the enjoyment that can come with owning your property, buyers may also find themselves with more disposable income at the end of the month than those renting their homes.

“Despite the very high rents of London, and relatively high rents of Cambridge, Brighton and other southern cities, getting on to the property ladder is still proving tough.

“The housing supply pressure in London in particular has become so intense that getting on to the property ladder can be significantly more costly per month than renting.”

According to the Zoopla news article, it is now cheaper to pay off a mortgage than to rent in 48% of Britain’s 50 biggest cities. The most cost-effective places to buy are Glasgow, Coventry and Birmingham. Renters are hundreds of pounds better off each month in Cambridge, London and Brighton.

To read the article in full on the Zoopla website click here

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Mortgage affordability at tightest level since 2008

UK Finance has today published a new Lending Where We Live report, revealing sharp differences in mortgage affordability and buy‑to‑let returns across the UK. Key findings 723,000 house purchase mortgages advanced in 2025, up 17 per cent year-on-year Average borrower spends 21.3 per cent of gross income on repayments Significant regional differences: North Norfolk and Hillingdon top the list with borrowers spending over 25 per cent of gross income Seven…
Read More
Breaking News

Did landlords frontload rent hikes ahead of the RRA?

The latest insight from Inventory Base suggests that, despite the incoming Renters’ Rights Act limiting rent increases to once per year, only around a quarter of landlords appeared to pre-empt the change by front-loading rent rises ahead of the 1st May deadline. This comes amid wider policy uncertainty in the rental sector, with the UK…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove to host live Q&A webinar on the Renters’ Rights Act

Rightmove is hosting a live Q&A webinar today to help agents better understand the Renters’ Rights Act and its practical implications as the Act takes effect. The Renters’ Rights Act: Live Q&A webinar will take place on Tuesday 5th May from 10:00am to 11:00am and will be available to watch via the Rightmove Hub. Over…
Read More
Home and Living

War over bin blunders as legal expert reveals what you can actually do

Rows over rubbish are bubbling up, with fed-up homeowners losing patience over neighbours who refuse to bring their bins back in. Now, a legal expert has revealed the simple steps you can take before things spiral into a full-blown neighbourhood feud. Natalie Peacock of Rogers and Norton explained that while it might be tempting to…
Read More
Breaking News

The UK’s best place to be a buy-to-let landlord in 2026 – and it isn’t London

Manchester tops the list with an average property price below the UK average and an annual rental return of 6.4%, beating all 32 London boroughs. Newcastle upon Tyne ranks second and is the only area in the study to deliver an annual return of more than 7%, while Blackpool places third. New research ranks 310…
Read More
Home and Living

Don’t Let Dirty Windows Cost You a Sale

You’ve spent months preparing your home for sale. You’ve decluttered, repainted the hallway, replaced the kitchen handles, and had the carpets professionally cleaned. But have you looked at your windows lately, really looked at them? Dirty windows are one of the most overlooked deal-breakers in property sales. They’re also one of the easiest to fix.…
Read More