London named most desirable UK city for homebuyers in 2024

New data reveals that London, Glasgow and Birmingham are the most popular U.K. cities for future homeowners. The study, conducted by the online calculator tool The Calculator Site, examined online search data for each U.K. city, including ‘property for sale in [city]’ and ‘houses in [city] for sale’, from the tool Google Keyword Planner. The cities with the highest monthly search volume are listed to determine the most popular locations for homeowners.

London, home to 48 neighbourhoods filled with bustling culture and exciting nightlife, takes the crown as the most desirable city to live in. England’s capital has an average monthly search volume of 55,192 for the combined terms; ‘London houses for sale’ is the most popular search term, with 30,767 searches over the last 12 months.

In second place is Glasgow, a city known for its diverse art scene and friendly locals. ‘Glasgow flats for sale’ is the city’s highest volume in the study, with 9,783 average monthly searches over the last 12 months. Overall, the Scottish city has 49,342 average monthly searches for property-related key terms.

Birmingham takes the bronze medal. Located in the southwestern region of England, the city has accessible transport links to the rest of the U.K. and a wealth of cultural diversity, making prospective homeowners search for Birmingham property-related key terms 7,900 times per month. ‘Birmingham houses for sale’ is the most used term, with 30,717 average monthly searches over the last 12 months.

Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city filled with literary heritage and historical architecture, ranks in fourth place. According to the study, prospective homeowners have searched for Edinburgh property-related terms 36,342 times per month, including ‘houses in Edinburgh for sale’, with the highest average monthly search volume at 24,308.

According to the study, Sheffield is the fifth most desirable city for future homeowners in the U.K. With everything from energetic nightlife to countryside walks just a stone’s throw away, the South Yorkshire city has an average monthly search volume of 36,283. ‘Sheffield houses for sale’ is the most searched-for term, with 26,783 average monthly searches.

In sixth place, Manchester has an average monthly search volume of 32,867 for property-related key terms. ‘Houses for sale in Manchester’ is the study’s most popular search term for the city, with its delicious food scene and booming nightlife attracting future homeowners across the U.K.

Liverpool is the seventh city homeowners are most interested in, with 30,333 average monthly searches; Bristol comes in eighth place, with 30,183 average monthly searches; Swansea ranks in ninth place, with 29,925 average monthly searches; and Inverness is the tenth best city for homeowners, with 28,015 average monthly searches.

Alastair Hazell, The Calculator SiteAlastair Hazell, The Calculator SiteAdditionally, the research also reveals the least desirable U.K. cities for homeowners. St Asaph, a city in Wales, has the lowest average monthly search volume, 921 over the last 12 months. Westminster, with 932 average monthly searches, St Davids, with 2,003 average monthly searches, Kingston-Upon-Hull, with 2,959 average monthly searches, and Salford, with 3,368 average monthly searches, round out the top five least exciting cities for future homeowners in 2024.

Alastair Hazell of The Calculator Site, says: “This study highlights the most sought-after cities for expectant homeowners, according to research based on the public’s search volume. London takes the number one spot, no doubt due to its wealth of career opportunities, transport links and multicultural landscapes.

“It’s interesting to see a variety of locations making it in the top ten most desirable cities to live in, from Swansea in southwestern Wales to the Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, suggesting that people are also eager to move to smaller, less populated cities across the U.K.”

The most desirable U.K. cities for homebuyers in 2024

Rank 

U.K. cities 

Average monthly search volume 

1 

London

55,192

2 

Glasgow

49,342

3 

Birmingham

37,900

4 

Edinburgh

36,342

5 

Sheffield

36,283

6 

Manchester

32,867

7 

Liverpool

30,333

8 

Bristol

30,183

9 

Swansea

29,925

10 

Inverness

28,015


Full ranking

Rank 

U.K. cities 

Average monthly search volume 

1 

London

55,192

2 

Glasgow

49,342

3 

Birmingham

37,900

4 

Edinburgh

36,342

5 

Sheffield

36,283

6 

Manchester

32,867

7 

Liverpool

30,333

8 

Bristol

30,183

9 

Swansea

29,925

10 

Inverness

28,015

11 

Stoke on Trent

27,586

12 

Nottingham

26,567

13 

Coventry

26,457

14 

Dundee

26,133

15 

Bradford

25,733

16 

Stirling

25,565

17 

York

24,350

18 

Plymouth

24,325

19 

Carlisle

24,032

20 

Dunfermline

23,900

21 

Leeds

21,175

22 

Wolverhampton

21,042

23 

Perth

20,938

24 

Leicester

20,875

25 

Sunderland

19,139

26 

Derby

18,975

27 

Exeter

18,782

28 

Worcester

18,340

29 

Peterborough

18,082

30 

Milton Keynes

17,983

31 

Bath

17,258

32 

Hereford

16,929

33 

Belfast

16,467

34 

Southampton

16,233

35 

Newport

15,892

36 

Cambridge

15,083

37 

Wakefield

14,064

38 

Aberdeen

13,850

39 

Preston

13,644

40 

Gloucester

13,235

41 

Norwich

13,067

42 

Chester

12,635

43 

Wrexham

12,082

44 

Durham

11,853

45 

Chichester

11,777

46 

Colchester

11,427

47 

Oxford

10,825

48 

Lichfield

10,722

49 

Portsmouth

10,203

50 

Bangor

10,113

51 

Cardiff

9,750

52 

Canterbury

9,692

53 

Chelmsford

9,633

54 

Winchester

9,092

55 

Salisbury

9,023

56 

Newry

8,497

57 

Londonderry

8,344

58 

Lisburn

7,851

59 

Truro

6,951

60 

Lancaster

6,792

61 

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

6,750

62 

Southend-on-Sea

6,248

63 

Ely

5,935

64 

Armagh

5,439

65 

Ripon

5,333

66 

Brighton & Hove

5,176

67 

Wells

4,398

68 

Lincoln

4,343

69 

Doncaster

4,292

70 

St Albans

3,818

71 

Salford

3,368

72 

Kingston-upon-Hull

2,959

73 

St Davids

2,003

74 

Westminster

932

75 

St Asaph

921

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