- Hannah McNally, 30, and her new husband decided to settle in Leeds
- The couple initially wanted to live in London, but struggled with the budget.
- This comes after research revealed which counties in England offer the cheapest floor space.
A British couple who moved to New Zealand recently returned to the UK in hopes of buying a house and settling down.
But they had to rethink their plans as they found it difficult to find a property within their budget and acknowledged they would need to consider different counties to afford a home.
Media director Hannah McNally, 30, and her new husband had hoped to put down roots in London or Bath, but unfortunately house prices meant they realized that wasn’t an option.
Instead, they opted for Leeds, sacrificing the ‘London lifestyle’ to maximize their cash.
She explained: “When my husband and I were thinking of moving back to the UK, we wanted to make either London or Bath our home, but after looking at property prices in those areas we decided that wasn’t viable. I understand that.”
“Compared to the north, it wasn’t as cost-effective, especially with interest rates at an all-time high.We had to make sure we stayed within our budget.
“Therefore, buying in Leeds seemed like the most sensible option. Leeds is a city center with good transport links and has a lot to offer young professionals.”
Hannah added: “When we looked at properties in London and Bath, we knew they weren’t suitable for us.
“Apartments outside London cost over £500,000. If you look at Bath, terraced houses cost around £400,000.
“On a smaller budget, we bought a three-bedroom detached house in Leeds, where the average price is around £250,000. It had a big garden and not only did we find a great location, but we also got more for our money. I was able to obtain it.”
The pair admitted they had to “sacrifice a few things” when moving to Leeds, but the biggest one was the “London lifestyle”.
She said: “We both love that there is so much to do in the capital and the employment opportunities are great, but given the property prices, London just wasn’t something we could justify.”
“By sacrificing our London lifestyle for a house in Leeds, we have been able to afford our dream wedding here in the UK this year with all our friends and family.
“Just because you choose one location now doesn’t mean you can’t relocate in the future.
“If house prices go down in the future, I would love to have the opportunity to buy in the South, even if it’s just an investment property that could contribute to my future retirement.”
It is delivered as a space station and analyzes data from HM Land Registry and the Department for Housing and Community Improvement to calculate the average cost per square meter of property across the country.
As UK house prices fall at the fastest rate since 2009, self-storage providers have revealed which counties have the highest and lowest floor space per pound.
They found that in England and Wales it typically costs £3,760 per square meter, but this varies widely by region.
Unsurprisingly, Greater London tops the list with an average price per square meter of £8,865.
The most expensive postcodes within the capital are W1S in Westminster (£42,529 per square meter) and SW14 in Richmond (£35,556 per square meter).
The most expensive county outside of London is Surrey, with an average price of £5,246 per square metre.
Topping the list in Surrey is Thames Ditton, close to the royal family’s Hampton Court Palace (£7,038 per square meter), followed by the suburb of Esher (£6,921), known as one of the most expensive places to live in the UK. It continued.
In contrast, the county most likely to get more money is Tyne and Wear, where the average price is £1,937 per square meter, more than four times cheaper than London.
Lancashire came in second at £2,026, followed by Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales at £2,041 per square metre.
Other locations worth considering include Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Flintshire and West Yorkshire.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for more money, it’s best to avoid Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Sussex.
Essex, Hampshire, Bristol and Kent also made it onto the list of cities with the most expensive floor space per square meter.
See the complete list of counties below and the average price per square meter for properties there.