
Mortgages for students: Buy-for-uni
Discover how you can use buy-for-university mortgages to buy property as a student.
Read more…Updated
How do property prices in the UK compare to those of the rest of the world? We estimated the average cost of a city-centre two-bed flat in 99 countries to find out. Of these, the UK was the 13th most expensive, at £254,000. The average across all countries was £148,000, which makes the UK’s figure 71% higher than the global average.
The most expensive place to buy a flat is Hong Kong (too small to be seen on the map), with a two-bed flat costing an eye-watering £1.4 million – nine times the global average.
1. Hong Kong: £1,388,000
2. Singapore: £860,000
3. Switzerland: £501,000
4. South Korea: £478,000
5. Japan: £391,000
1. Pakistan: £29,000
2. Venezuela: £30,000
3. Egypt: £33,000
4. Tunisia: £35,000
5. Uzbekistan: £39,000
On the other end of the spectrum, the cheapest place for property appears to be Pakistan, where a flat of the same size would cost you a modest £29,000, 80% below average.
Wherever you decide to live, you’ll need some help along the way. Find out how to get a mortgage for an overseas property. You will also need to find a trusted provider to transfer your money overseas. If you’re aiming to get on the property ladder in the UK, check out our guide for first-time buyers for advice and tips on all the help that is available to you.
The average cost of a flat in Europe is £154,000, only marginally more than the global average of £148,000. However, the cost of a flat varies between European countries, with the most expensive country (Switzerland, £501,000) costing over £450,000 more than the cheapest (Moldova, £43,000). The UK is the 5th most expensive country in Europe to buy a 2-bedroom flat at £100,000 more than the European average (£254,000).
We compared the different regions of Europe to see how the price of a flat compares. Eastern Europe is the cheapest region to buy a flat in, at an average cost of £84,000. Whereas a flat in Western Europe, the most expensive region, will cost over 3.2 times more at £275,000, over £190,000 more expensive. The average cost of a flat in Northern Europe (the region including the UK) is £198,000 while Southern Europe costs £107,000.
Explore the map and the table below to find out more about the cost of a flat around Europe.
Country | Subregion | Cost of a 2-bed flat | Compared to European average |
---|---|---|---|
Switzerland | Western Europe | £501,000 | 325.32% |
France | Western Europe | £319,000 | 207.14% |
Norway | Northern Europe | £289,000 | 187.66% |
Sweden | Northern Europe | £259,000 | 168.18% |
United Kingdom | Northern Europe | £254,000 | 164.94% |
Germany | Western Europe | £247,000 | 160.39% |
Finland | Northern Europe | £241,000 | 156.49% |
Austria | Western Europe | £234,000 | 151.95% |
Denmark | Northern Europe | £233,000 | 151.30% |
Iceland | Northern Europe | £210,000 | 136.36% |
Netherlands | Western Europe | £199,000 | 129.22% |
Ireland | Northern Europe | £188,000 | 122.08% |
Czech Republic | Eastern Europe | £182,000 | 118.18% |
Italy | Southern Europe | £167,000 | 108.44% |
Belgium | Western Europe | £152,000 | 98.70% |
Spain | Southern Europe | £142,000 | 92.21% |
Slovenia | Southern Europe | £135,000 | 87.66% |
Portugal | Southern Europe | £129,000 | 83.77% |
Croatia | Southern Europe | £124,000 | 80.52% |
Estonia | Northern Europe | £119,000 | 77.27% |
Poland | Eastern Europe | £108,000 | 70.13% |
Lithuania | Northern Europe | £106,000 | 68.83% |
Hungary | Eastern Europe | £104,000 | 67.53% |
Slovakia | Eastern Europe | £100,000 | 64.94% |
Serbia | Southern Europe | £94,000 | 61.04% |
Latvia | Northern Europe | £85,000 | 55.19% |
Greece | Southern Europe | £79,000 | 51.30% |
Montenegro | Southern Europe | £70,000 | 45.45% |
Romania | Eastern Europe | £69,000 | 44.81% |
Belarus | Eastern Europe | £68,000 | 44.16% |
Albania | Southern Europe | £64,000 | 41.56% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Southern Europe | £63,000 | 40.91% |
Russia | Eastern Europe | £58,000 | 37.66% |
Bulgaria | Eastern Europe | £55,000 | 35.71% |
Ukraine | Eastern Europe | £51,000 | 33.12% |
Moldova | Eastern Europe | £43,000 | 27.92% |
Country | Average price per square meter for city centre flat | Price for two-bed flat |
---|---|---|
Hong Kong | £23,489 | £1,388,000 |
Singapore | £14,557 | £860,000 |
Switzerland | £8,482 | £501,000 |
South Korea | £8,091 | £478,000 |
Japan | £6,621 | £391,000 |
Taiwan | £6,269 | £371,000 |
France | £5,394 | £319,000 |
Israel | £5,387 | £318,000 |
China | £5,229 | £309,000 |
Norway | £4,892 | £289,000 |
Kuwait | £4,523 | £267,000 |
Sweden | £4,380 | £259,000 |
United Kingdom | £4,304 | £254,000 |
Germany | £4,186 | £247,000 |
Finland | £4,077 | £241,000 |
Australia | £4,004 | £237,000 |
Austria | £3,952 | £234,000 |
Denmark | £3,935 | £233,000 |
New Zealand | £3,695 | £218,000 |
Iceland | £3,546 | £210,000 |
Canada | £3,525 | £208,000 |
Qatar | £3,445 | £204,000 |
Netherlands | £3,368 | £199,000 |
Ireland | £3,177 | £188,000 |
Czech Republic | £3,072 | £182,000 |
Kenya | £3,036 | £179,000 |
Thailand | £2,853 | £169,000 |
Italy | £2,831 | £167,000 |
Lebanon | £2,792 | £165,000 |
Belgium | £2,567 | £152,000 |
Spain | £2,398 | £142,000 |
United Arab Emirates | £2,406 | £142,000 |
Slovenia | £2,281 | £135,000 |
Portugal | £2,187 | £129,000 |
Bahrain | £2,173 | £128,000 |
Argentina | £2,129 | £126,000 |
Croatia | £2,102 | £124,000 |
Estonia | £2,019 | £119,000 |
United States | £2,017 | £119,000 |
Uruguay | £1,853 | £110,000 |
Poland | £1,832 | £108,000 |
Lithuania | £1,793 | £106,000 |
Hungary | £1,766 | £104,000 |
Vietnam | £1,733 | £102,000 |
Sri Lanka | £1,712 | £101,000 |
Iran | £1,696 | £100,000 |
Slovakia | £1,694 | £100,000 |
Cyprus | £1,646 | £97,000 |
Malaysia | £1,646 | £97,000 |
Panama | £1,606 | £95,000 |
Serbia | £1,583 | £94,000 |
Philippines | £1,554 | £92,000 |
Chile | £1,502 | £89,000 |
Costa Rica | £1,510 | £89,000 |
Latvia | £1,435 | £85,000 |
Greece | £1,342 | £79,000 |
Brazil | £1,271 | £75,000 |
Guatemala | £1,257 | £74,000 |
Indonesia | £1,241 | £73,000 |
Peru | £1,231 | £73,000 |
Armenia | £1,209 | £71,000 |
Montenegro | £1,185 | £70,000 |
Syria | £1,190 | £70,000 |
Romania | £1,175 | £69,000 |
Belarus | £1,153 | £68,000 |
Ecuador | £1,151 | £68,000 |
Morocco | £1,148 | £68,000 |
Albania | £1,091 | £64,000 |
Bosnia And Herzegovina | £1,063 | £63,000 |
Mexico | £1,069 | £63,000 |
Azerbaijan | £1,056 | £62,000 |
Colombia | £1,049 | £62,000 |
Iraq | £1,042 | £62,000 |
India | £999 | £59,000 |
Algeria | £984 | £58,000 |
Russia | £988 | £58,000 |
Nepal | £972 | £57,000 |
Paraguay | £967 | £57,000 |
Jordan | £954 | £56,000 |
Bulgaria | £930 | £55,000 |
Dominican Republic | £909 | £54,000 |
Kosovo | £897 | £53,000 |
Bangladesh | £882 | £52,000 |
Ukraine | £868 | £51,000 |
Kazakhstan | £824 | £49,000 |
Bolivia | £809 | £48,000 |
Georgia | £770 | £46,000 |
Saudi Arabia | £784 | £46,000 |
South Africa | £785 | £46,000 |
Moldova | £726 | £43,000 |
Namibia | £688 | £41,000 |
Nigeria | £694 | £41,000 |
Turkey | £669 | £40,000 |
Honduras | £667 | £39,000 |
Uzbekistan | £662 | £39,000 |
Tunisia | £598 | £35,000 |
Egypt | £565 | £33,000 |
Venezuela | £501 | £30,000 |
Pakistan | £498 | £29,000 |
City | Average cost of flat in city | Compared to global average |
---|---|---|
Hong Kong, Hong Kong | £1,397,000 | 944% |
Singapore, Singapore | £863,000 | 583% |
London, United Kingdom | £758,000 | 512% |
Seoul, South Korea | £707,000 | 478% |
New York, NY, United States | £677,000 | 457% |
Beijing, China | £661,000 | 447% |
Taipei, Taiwan | £616,000 | 416% |
Shanghai, China | £609,000 | 411% |
San Francisco, CA, United States | £600,000 | 406% |
Geneva, Switzerland | £600,000 | 406% |
City | Price per square meter in city centre | Average cost of 2-bed flat | Compared to global average |
---|---|---|---|
London | £12,824 | £758,000 | 512% |
Cambridge | £5,861 | £346,000 | 234% |
Brighton | £5,463 | £323,000 | 218% |
Liverpool | £4,960 | £293,000 | 198% |
Bristol | £4,460 | £264,000 | 178% |
Edinburgh | £4,119 | £243,000 | 164% |
Manchester | £3,844 | £227,000 | 153% |
Birmingham | £3,134 | £185,000 | 125% |
These statistics show that prices for a city centre flat in the UK are generally comparable to our European and global counterparts. London is very much the exception to this rule though, with a central flat being out of reach for almost all young Brits trying to get a foot on the property ladder.”
“If you’re a first-time buyer looking to purchase a flat or house, there are various ways that you can get assistance. Help to buy schemes allow you to earn tax-free interest, and the government also adds 25% to your savings (up to £3,000), which is a no-brainer if you’re serious about purchasing. People are increasingly looking at shared-ownership as well. This allows you to purchase part of a flat from a housing association and will result in a lower deposit and monthly payments. You can then purchase more of the flat as and when you’re able to. You can see more helpful information on this dedicated page.””
Numbeo
The median area of a two-bed flat in the UK, according to a 2010 dwelling size survey, is 59.11 square metres. Therefore each price per square metre was multiplied by 59.11 to get the cost of a two-bed flat in each country.
Discover how you can use buy-for-university mortgages to buy property as a student.
Read more…Learn more about bridging loan companies that operate in the UK.
Read more…Discover how the Help To Buy government scheme can make it more affordable to buy a new-build property in the UK.
Read more…The average house in London now costs over £500,000. What type of properties could you get for the same price around the world?
Read more…Everything you need to know if you’re considering taking out a refurbishment loan to renovate an investment property, whether it’s for buy-to-let or to add value.
Read more…In-depth guide to bridging loans if you have had credit problems in the past, including what lenders are willing to overlook and which are the most important factors.
Read more…The average house in London now costs over £500,000. What type of properties could you get for the same price around the world?
Are you driving to do your Christmas shopping this year? Find out which city issues the most parking fines during the festive season.
We’ve done some research to see if the British public are still keen on travelling abroad and whether any countries will be avoided.
We have compiled data on the prices of beers in 165 countries around the globe so you can find out where you rank. Read on to find out where the UK sits globally and how beer prices compare between the UK’s major cities.
We have explored how house prices have been affected across the country during this time and how interest in renting has fluctuated in different regions.
How healthy is the UK? We dived into all the latest stats to give you the figures on life expectancy, alcohol consumption, obesity and more.
Ever wondered how much a Starbucks tall latte costs around the world? And what does that say about the value of currency? Finder’s Starbucks Index 2019 delves into the data to find out.
Looking for a cheaper travel insurance deal? Find out what factors affect premium prices and get tips for lowering costs.
Businesspeople jet off every day to scope out potential opportunities for their companies. Learn about the business trips taken from, to and within the UK.
By comparing the price of a beer in 165 of the world’s most populated cities and 42 UK cities we found that the average price of a pint in London is £5.18, compared to the global average of £2.63 and the UK average of £3.70.