cheapest, best places to live in England?

buglawton

Also consider Southampton. Plenty of reasonable priced corners where you might not expect (as well as tracts of less attractive housing/post-industrial zones). A lot of the council (now ex-council) houses are pre-war so when not pebble dashed or stone clad, actually have some character.

Plenty of parks, a very decent council golf course and near the New Forest & Isle of Wight, plus quick ferry routes to France. Good leisure centre and bus services.

milliebear00001

j.e.j. wrote: »

Well, I guess you can't have everything. The best paid jobs are in the major cities, but with major cities comes overcrowding, extortionate rents, pollution, anonymity and more of a 'multicultural' population.

This isn't always the case. I live in a market town within half an hour of Manchester on the edge of the Peak District. It's a nice town: low crime, good shops, friendly people, parks and green spaces, decent schools (although many send theirs privately for secondary). There are many similar towns within easy reach of Manchester/Sheffield/Leeds/Liverpool.

You could certainly earn £50,000 in Manchester if yo're in the right line of work. I bought my three bed terrace house for £128,000 two years ago. A three bed semi on a decent street here would be about £150,000 (although these are in short supply). You can rent a very substantial, four bed, 'executive' home with large garden, for about £850 a month, or buy one for around £220,000.

We live fairly comfortably, if not extravagantly, on a single salary well below £50,000!

euronorris

angelil wrote: »

You're lucky you don't live where I am! I live just outside of Paris (well, to be precise it's an hour and a quarter commute) and here we rent a 1-bedroom flat for nearly €900 a month...and we're actually lucky as we're on an older tariff from 2008 (if we wanted the same space today we'd be looking at closer to €1200 a month). House buying is for millionnaires only! The grass is always greener and all that...

€925 pm here for a 1 bed place in the private sector (also on original tarriff from 2008 - she's never asked for me. I can only assume it's because we've been here so long, look after the place, communicate and pay on time.). Much cheaper through council housing, but we're low priorty, so no point joining list as we hope to buy soon.

To buy is cheaper here. The prices are pretty high, but you get the tax back from the government each month, so you can afford a bigger mortgage.

buglawton

Is it true that in France, if you have children, you are practically exempt from paying rent?

angelil

buglawton wrote: »

Is it true that in France, if you have children, you are practically exempt from paying rent?

lol we wish!!!! Otherwise I'd be sprogging like nobody's business by now (I'm 26)
It is true you get some tax breaks, but you have to have multiple children before that happens.
With the situation as it is now, I genuinely don't know what we're going to do if we have kids. Childcare is so expensive that I'd effectively be working just to pay a nanny (although saying that you can stick your child in state childcare, which is free, from age 2 if needed), and we don't much fancy paying more than €1000 a month in rent just to live in something the size of a shoebox.

claire16c

For a 3 bed house I think youve got a good deal! My friend lives in Devon and theres some beautiful coastline and places to take the kids on nice days out. you could live in much worse places for that price.

I live in the SE and you pay around £750 for a 1 bed flat, minimum. I dont think youre too bad off!

greenface

I have recently been working in Gwynedd (Ffestiniogg) The rental around some of the area is £300/£350 PM. & Male breadwinners can bring home £200/£250 pw, its all on a scale

Mr.Geoff

Anyone got any information about the state of play around the centre of England ... the Nuneaton area (Bedworth, Meriden ... places around Coventry, Kenilworth perhaps)?

mishmogs

I live in a Suffolk market town more or less on the Essex, Suffolk, Cambs border, moved here from Warrington 22 years ago and it was a big wrench and took me a few years to settle down. Lack of shops, entertainment, employment but now I enjoy the quiet life! If anything, I want to move further into the country but as DH is in his early 60s with health issues, I dont think this would be a good idea.

Rent a 3 bed ex LA (local authority) house is approx. £600 and private rental £675. Purchase a 3 bed in a reasonable estate £165k.

The town has now improved with entertainment and am use to travelling 20 miles for shopping but employment is still sh*tty....

jjblondie

In Coventry, parts of Canley and Tile Hill are not the most wonderful places in the world (fairly high crime?), but they are relatively cheap and have good transport links. I have lived there and found it a lovely community.