Edinburgh and Glasgow are among the top 5 places that Londoners moved to in 2024, coming 3rd and 4threspectively, according to a survey of Compare My Move users. The two Scottish cities beat the likes of Brighton, Reading, Milton Keynes, Birmingham, towns and cities that are relatively close to the English capital.
So why do Londoners look to Scotland when they want to move? Dave Sayce, co-founder and MD of Compare My Move, delves into the data and explores the reasons behind London’s exodus to Scotland.
This table shows the top 5 cities to which Londoners moved in 2024.
| Rank | City |
| 1st | Bristol |
| 2nd | Manchester |
| 3rd | Edinburgh |
| 4th | Glasgow |
| 5th | Reading |
Data taken from comparemymove.com
Although Edinburgh and Glasgow make up two of the top 5 cities that Londoners move to, Scotland is still only the 7th most popular region for Londoners to move to, showing the popularity of these two cities in particular. Dave Sayce, co-founder and managing director of Compare My Move comments on why so many Londoners have chosen to move to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
“One of the biggest selling points of Edinburgh and Glasgow in relation to London is the house prices, the average house in Edinburgh costs around half of the average house in London, and Glasgow is even lower, costing a third of what Londoners are paying. This means that Londoners can get a house that is more suited to them and what they want as there is going to be more of the market available in their budget.”
Below is a table that shows the average house price and the average cost of living for each of the cities.
| City | Average House Price | Monthly cost of living for one person |
| London | £683,929 | £2,516 |
| Edinburgh | £338,307 | £1,634 |
| Glasgow | £229,959 | £1,535 |
| United Kingdom | £366,592 | £1,687 |
Data taken from Rightmove and Livingcost.org
“Edinburgh and Glasgow also have a significantly lower cost of living than London, with Glasgow having a lower cost of living than the UK average, meaning that Londoners can spend a lot less and save a lot more.
“It’s likely that Londoners saw the thresholds changing on the stamp duty land tax and an uncertainty in a new government, which can often cause people to look for drastic changes in which they know they’ll save money, such as moving to Scotland.
“One big question is why so far away, there are many cities between London and the border with lower house prices and cost of living that are surely cheaper to get back and forth London if you have family or connections there. However, a plane from London to Edinburgh takes just over and hour and can cost from £35, but a train from London to Edinburgh will take over 4 hours and will likely cost almost triple that at a minimum.” (taken from Ryanair and Trainline).
“All of this means that not only are Glasgow and Edinburgh cheaper to buy a house, cheaper to live in, but you’relikely to have a cheaper commute too if you’re still planning on working hybrid in London.”
