Graduating is exciting until you realise you now have to find a job, choose where to live and somehow pay rent at the same time. All of a sudden, “where should I move after uni?” becomes a much bigger question than just picking the city with the best nightlife.
Some cities make graduate life a lot easier than others. For example, in London you need to earn around £39,000 a year just to comfortably afford a room. For someone fresh out of uni, that isn’t exactly a dream.
London: great jobs, painful rent
London has a lot going for it. There are loads of jobs, higher salaries and endless things to do. The problem is that living there costs an absolute fortune. The average room in London costs around £995 a month. If you follow the idea that rent shouldn’t take up more than 30% of your income, you would need to earn at least
£39,804 a year for that to be considered affordable.
That's a pretty big ask when you have only just graduated and your CV is still heavily relying on a group project, a summer job and “good communication skills’. London is definitely exciting, but unless you end up with a strong graduate salary, rent can eat up your money very quickly.
Nottingham: a much better balance
Nottingham is becoming a really good option for graduates because entry-level jobs are growing quickly. The average room costs around £581 a month, which is much more manageable than London. It also means you might actually have money left at the end of the month for something other than rent, meal deals and checking your banking app in fear.
Nottingham has a big student and graduate feel too, so it is a good choice if you want somewhere lively without completely destroying your budget.
Exeter: good jobs without London prices
Exeter is another city doing well when it comes to entry-level jobs. The average room costs around £662 a month. It is not the cheapest city on the list, but compared with London, it still feels a lot more realistic for graduates. You get a good balance of job opportunities, student life and slightly less terrifying rent.
Is the North actually cheaper?
Most of the time, yes, as there is still a clear North–South divide in the UK, with cities in northern England, Yorkshire and Scotland usually offering cheaper rent than places in the South.
For graduates, that makes a huge difference. The less you spend on rent, the more you have left for food, travel, nights out and pretending you are saving for a house deposit.
Belfast
The average room in Belfast costs around £539 a month, while a private one-bedroom flat costs about £779. It is often seen as one of the more affordable cities for students and graduates, especially when local salaries are considered.
Basically, Belfast can be a strong shout if you want lower living costs without feeling like you have moved somewhere with nothing going on.
Liverpool
The average room in Liverpool costs around £503 a month, while a one-bedroom flat costs about £662. Rent takes up around 29% of a typical graduate salary, so it is one of the more affordable places to start working. Liverpool also has plenty going on, so choosing cheaper rent does not mean giving up your social life. You can still have a good time without your rent making you question every life decision.
Sheffield
A room in Sheffield costs around £504 a month, while a private one-bedroom flat costs roughly £669. The city has a big student and graduate population, a strong job market and fairly affordable housing.
Basically, it gives you the city experience without needing a second job just to pay your landlord.
Birmingham
The average room in Birmingham costs around £516 a month, while a one-bedroom flat costs about £729. As one of the UK’s biggest cities, Birmingham has plenty of jobs, restaurants, shops and nightlife. It is still much cheaper than London, which makes it a strong option for graduates who want a big-city lifestyle without the big-city financial breakdown.
Newcastle upon Tyne
The average room in Newcastle costs around £545 a month, while a one-bedroom flat costs about £705. Newcastle is affordable, lively and has a growing job market. It could be a good choice for graduates who want plenty to do, but would also like to keep some of their salary instead of handing it all over to rent.
Choosing the city is only half the battle...
Once you have picked a city, you still have to work out where in that city you actually want to live. This is where neighbourhoods become important. It is not just about finding the cheapest rent possible. You also have to think about how close you are to work or uni, whether the area feels safe, what the transport is like and whether there are shops, cafés, gyms or places to go out nearby.
A good example of this is Edinburgh, where areas like Marchmont and Haymarket offer totally different student experiences.
Edinburgh
Marchmont is very much the classic student area. It’s close to the University of Edinburgh, right by the Meadows and has loads of cafés, independent shops and places to study. It is the kind of area where you can walk to campus, bump into people you know and still be close enough to nightlife without living directly above it.
However Haymarket, is better if you care more about transport and convenience. It has buses, trams, a train station and quick links to the airport, so it is ideal if you need to get around the city or travel home regularly. It’s maybe not as student-heavy as Marchmont, but it's still well-connected and close to plenty of shops, restaurants and things to do.
Neighbourhood matters
So, even in the same city the area you choose can completely change your experience. One neighbourhood might be better for social life and campus vibes, but the other might be better for commuting, safety and general day to day.
Basically, don’t just pick a city and hope for the best. The neighbourhood matters too.
The cheapest places
Some towns offer even cheaper rent, but there may be fewer graduate jobs available, so it all depends on what your personal preference is.
- Bradford is one of the cheapest options, with average rent around £472 a month. A one-bedroom flat in the city centre costs about £520.
- Hull is also affordable, with average rent around £512 and city-centre one-bedroom flats costing approx £500.
- In Sunderland, the average rent is around £486 a month, while a one-bedroom flat in the city centre usually costs between £460 and £500.
- Blackpool is also with average rent of around £510 and one-bedroom flats costing about £460.
- Stoke-on-Trent has average rent of around £542 a month, while a one-bedroom flat costs roughly £550.
These places are clearly good for saving money, but is probably worth checking that there are actually jobs in your industry before turning up with all your belongings and hoping for the best.
So, where is the best place to move to?
It all depends on what matters most to you.
London has loads of opportunities, but the rent is hard to ignore. Nottingham and Exeter offer a better mix of jobs and affordability, while Liverpool, Sheffield, Birmingham and Newcastle are all strong choices too.
The cheapest city is not always the best city. Ideally, you want somewhere where you can find a decent job, afford your rent and still have enough money left to enjoy being in your twenties.
And once you have chosen the city, make sure you look properly at the area too. Living somewhere cheap is great, but living somewhere cheap, safe, well-connected and actually enjoyable is even better
