Bristol is the UK’s most expensive city for space, according to new research from British space-saving furniture brand Furl, highlighting how rising housing costs are leaving people paying more for less room to live.
Key findings of the analysis include:
- Bristol is the UK’s most expensive city for space, followed by Brighton & Hove and Manchester
- Coastal cities including Southampton and Portsmouth also rank highly
- Stoke-on-Trent, Aberdeen and Swansea offer the most space for money, with lower costs and larger homes
Furl’s new Living Space Premium Index (0–100) measures how much people pay for living space across the UK’s 23 largest cities. London is excluded to enable a fair, like for like comparison between regional cities, as its scale and market dynamics make it an outlier.
The index combines official earnings and rental data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) with analysis of current house and flat listings. It brings together housing costs, incomes, property sizes and population density to assess how much living space residents can access relative to what they pay. A higher score indicates a greater “premium” on space, meaning residents pay more while accessing less.
Bristol ranks highest, making it the city where residents get the least space for their money. It is followed by Brighton & Hove and Manchester, where high property prices, rising rents and smaller homes combine to create the most expensive living space relative to income.
The top 10 cities where space comes at the highest premium
These cities combine high housing costs with limited affordable living space, meaning residents are paying more while getting less in return.
- Bristol
- Brighton & Hove
- Manchester
- Southampton
- Nottingham
- Leicester
- Birmingham
- Portsmouth
- Cardiff
- Leeds
Full table listed here: https://www.furl.co.uk/knowledge-hub/space-premium-index
The top 10 cities where Brits get the most space for their money
These areas benefit from lower property prices, larger homes and stronger affordability, allowing residents to access significantly more space.
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Aberdeen
- Swansea
- Kingston upon Hull
- Edinburgh
- Derby
- Sheffield
- Coventry
- Plymouth
- Wolverhampton
Category winners & losers include:
Top three for the most spacious homes:
- Edinburgh
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Swansea
Bottom three for the most spacious homes:
- Kingston upon Hull
- Manchester
- Southampton
Best value for buyers (lowest cost per sq ft):
- Kingston upon Hull
- Aberdeen
- Spoke-on-Trent
Worst value for buyers (highest cost per sq ft):
- Brighton & Hove
- Manchester
- Bristol
Where income buys the most sq ft:
- Aberdeen
- Kingston upon Hull
- Stoke-on-Trent
Where income buys the least sq ft:
- Brighton & Hove
- Manchester
- Bristol
Where income rents the most sq ft:
- Spoke-on-Trent
- Derby
- Aberdeen
Where income rents the least sq ft:
- Bristol
- Brighton & Hove
- Manchester
David Norman, Founder at Furl said “We’re seeing a fundamental shift in how people experience their homes. It’s not just that housing is becoming more expensive, it’s that people are getting less space for their money.
At Furl we’ve seen a noticeable shift towards more flexible interiors, with more focus on furniture that can do more, from hidden storage to designs that adapt to different uses throughout the day..”
Furl, a UK-based furniture company specialising in space-saving storage beds, sofas beds and multifunctional designs, has built its reputation on helping people maximise limited living space.
The brand says the findings underline the growing importance of smarter, more flexible interiors, particularly in cities where space is at a premium.
