Any websites that calculate/compare cost of living ?

I'm thinking of looking for a new job, and thought this would be an ideal opportunity to get out of the bl**dy south-east .

At the same time though, I don't really want to move all the way back to Newcastle (don't want to be so close to parents that they can land on the doorstep any time!).

I've been thinking of Yorkshire - maybe Leeds or thereabouts. I've been looking at jobs available, but don't know if/how much of a pay cut I could realistically take whilst maintaining at least the same quality of life I have now (which isn't great, but is ok).

Property prices are my biggest concern - I don't want to get mortgaged up to the hilt down here just to afford a small 1-bed house (which I currently rent and would sell for around £150k)

Are there any websites that compare the equivalent cost of living for different areas around the country ?

Cheers.

 

Decent 2-bed terraces are around £110k in my bit of yorkshire. In general, I find things are a bit cheaper oop norf than down south, but you probably know that anyway. Don't know of any clear comparisons of figures.

 

I know in most places it's cheaper, although I've been down here 3 years now and haven't really kept on top of prices in the north which have boomed over the last 3 years. I particularly don't know what prices are like in an area I've never lived before (Yorkshire!).

It's not just property though (although that is the main reason - I want to be able to buy somewhere), it's the overall cost of living/quality of life because I don't think I could get a job earning the same up there as I do down here!

 

I've pretty much lived in all 4 corners of the UK over the last 20 years or so,( Shropshire, Devon, Bucks, Hants, Suffolk, Fife, ). I've found that within any town or area there are cheaper and more expensive aras that can easily match all other parts of the country. If i was in your shoes I'd look for the job first, renting cheap accomodation nearby, then start your search for a new affordable house within commuter distance, once you have served your probation period in your new job and have your feet firmly under the table.

The exilaration and that comes with moving to a new place is unbeatable. Luckily for me most of my early moves were within the military and so i knew pretty much what my new job would be, but it was still exciting moving to a new town all the same.

Why people wish to stay in their own home town for their entire life is something that i just cannot understand, each to their own though....

Good luck with the search...

 

Batfink,
This should help your search for a property by looking at price, area and the type of people living in that area but the cost of living and the quality of life information is a bit harder to find buy I'll have a try for you.

I find that Nethouseprices gives a good idea as to what the purchaser has paid for a property as the info is taken directly from the land registry and not the often over hyped prices displayed in property shop windows. Just plug in a post code or town name and then work you way through the lists looking at the average price and number sold for a street once you have found a postcode you like then try Upmystreet replacing XXXXX with real postcode to get an idea of the type of people living in that area. Lastly have a go with a go a national Property Finder so you can quickly zoom in on an area and get a general overview of what is on the market.

 

Thanks for the help guys.

Auric - I'll try out those links.

S&C - I will definitely have to secure a job before I move (unless I take voluntary redundancy which may be doing the rounds shortly), but many jobs I've seen advertised have a starting salary 10-15% below what I'm getting now. I suppose I'm just concerned that I'll be in no better position by moving and taking a large pay cut than I am now (other than to be out of the south-east)

 

A short link that shows Local authorities with highest and lowest -average earnings, this might be a simple guide to wages in these areas.

The only other data I can think of is that supplied by statistics.gov.uk but you may have to do a bit of digging about to find what you are after.

 

The census is a more realistic source however this site is what you really need:

www.upmystreet.com you can see average house values. My mum also knows a site where you can find out exactly how much houses sold for on your street.

Local authority statistics can be very miss leading. I live in South Manchester, 52% of people are graduates, the average house price for a 3 bed terrace is £200k+, this is clearly very different from the rest of Manchester City Council has a whole.

www.upmystreet.com gives a fairly accurate picture.

 

Use Vebra.com

Put in a house price 150000, and >3 beds and anywhere and see what you get around the country. Also

http://www.homesonview.co.uk/scripts/homesearch.asp

can cover countrywide in parallel searches - which 'rightmove' etc. wouldnt allow you to see

 

In terms of earnings, this seems to give me a good idea for my chosen career path.

South-East

Yorkshire & North-East

I'm part-qual. at the top end of the earnings scale for the south-east for my level of qualification. There's a big salary drop when heading north. Looks like the gap closes after qualification (don't know if I can last another 18 months or so down here though!)