If you’ve found yourself wondering whether life really is cheaper in the North, you’re not alone. The debate has been reignited by Andy Burnham, who has made closing the gap between the North and South central to his vision for the country. He’s promised the “biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen”, arguing that the UK’s economy has become too centred on London and that raising living standards across the regions should be a national priority.
It’s a debate I’ve been having with almost everyone since I moved from the South to Greater Manchester last year.
I grew up in a town an hour away from London, and I always imagined I’d settle there. But with the average house price in the capital approximately £553,000, compared to the national average of £270,000, it was simply out of reach and unrealistic for me to do so. In January, I bought a house in Greater Manchester, where my partner grew up, and like most southeners I assumed moving up north would make life dramatically cheaper.
Everyone back home told me the same thing: “You’ll save so much money.” And while there’s certainly some truth in it, the reality is more complicated.
The biggest saving is housing. London households spend, on average, more than twice as much each year on their rent or mortgage as households in the North West.
