The 5 most affordable cities in the UK

International investors see the UK housing market as a safe bet but not all areas are equal and prices vary enormously across the UK.  Homesgofast.com present the UK's most affordabale British cities.

Overseas investors who seek to become a landlord who buys to let, buying in a cheaper area can mean that you can run a larger portfolio. There are some very special offers to be had, with some councils selling houses for refurbishment for as little as £1 but they usually come with conditions which are not always easy to meet. Even the demand for housing these areas might be high you can still achieve a fast house sale.

Currently, the three cheapest places to buy in the UK, according to figures released in May 2013 are in Northern Ireland, but sticking to the UK mainland only, the five cheapest are as follows, with the cheapest first:-

Stirling, Scotland

Homes in Stirling have a price to wage ratio of 3.8, against a national average of 5.6. As a comparison, the most expensive place to live regarding house prices is Oxford, where house prices are typically 9.66 times the average income. Stirling has a well-respected university as well a thriving financial sector and a large prison, so properties for rental are sought after in the area. The average salary in Stirling is above the national average, so although the house prices are low, the general health of the local economy is good.

Bradford, Yorkshire

Houses in Bradford typically cost 3.98 times the national average income. Again, this is an area with a lot of students, so landlords have plenty of tenants who need homes. Bradford has had major regeneration in the city centre and enjoys a low unemployment rate, so whether buying to let or to redevelop, a home bought here should be a good investment.

Salford, Lancashire

Homes in Salford are around 4.1 times the national average wage, very near to those in Bradford in the next county. A house in Salford would be a good investment because it is so near to Manchester, a very desirable location as far as employment goes and which is also home to several universities.

Glasgow

We are back to Scotland for the fourth cheapest place in mainland Britain. Glasgow has a home price to wage ratio of 4.23, although it must be added that Glasgow also has some very expensive housing, due to the incredible Arts and Crafts dwellings in certain areas.

Lancaster, Lancashire

Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire but is not very big, with a population of only around 45,000 although this grows in term time because of its two university campuses. Because of the student population, a buy to let here is a good investment and properties cost on average 4.28 times the national average wage.

The North South divide is well expressed by looking at property prices, with the cheapest ten all in the north and the ten most expensive all in the south, with Oxford as number one and St Albans number ten. A surprise is at number 4 – Truro in Cornwall was once a very poor area, but second homes have made it expensive in terms of property prices.

Are you looking to buy property in UK ? Hurghada , Scotland , Istanbul , Sahl Hasheesh , Dubai

Are you looking to rent property in UK ? London , Manchester , Reading , Leeds , Cardiff