Buy buy buy! Owning a property is cheaper than renting in 90% of UK towns with York leading the way

Do you dream of taking your first step on to the property ladder - buying that perfect house or flat?

You could be surprised by new research that suggests it sometimes works out cheaper to buy your home than rent...

In 90% of UK towns, it is more cost-effective to own your own home, than pay high rents. In York the difference is highest, with average rent at £1,083, compared to an average property price of £147,624.

Zoopla researched the asking prices and rents of 62,000 two-bedroom flats, and based the figures on interest-only mortgages.

‘The cost of renting continues to balloon. Even for an interest-only mortgage, it's generally much more cost-effective to buy,' says Lawrence Hall of Zoopla.co.uk.

Want to live somewhere where renting beats buying? Move to Swansea - renting is cheaper at an average of £663pcm compared to an average asking price of £174,274.

However, if you're planning on continuing to rent for now - it's worth knowing the flip side - according to LSL Property Services, 10% of landlords intend to put rents up by more than 5% next year.

‘Fierce tenant competition in 2012 enabled many landlords to raise their asking prices - and this is likely to continue in the next 12 months,' says David Newnes, director of LSL Property Services.

Hmm.. looks like it's worth saving for that deposit.

Ready to start your property search? To find out more about York, go to visityork.org and for Swansea see visitswanseabay.com.

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