To most people, holidays and travelling are seen as luxuries that are worth spending a bit of money on. However we’ve looked at the numbers and made a shocking discovery – it might actually be cheaper to live your life as an eternal holiday instead of staying at home! For the average monthly cost of living in the UK, you could easily spend two months all-inclusive in a holiday beach resort, far away from the daily grind.

Although for some of us taking a long break from work is hard, our latest research shows that going abroad is often more affordable than staying at home. With the average cost of living in the UK having increased by 1.8% between January 2018 and January 2019, along with many air fares having dropped, you can now spend more than twice the time on an all-inclusive holiday for the money you’d spend at home.

Here is our proposition for saying farewell to your day-to-day living costs to take a massive holiday.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY BY TAKING A HOLIDAY

Anyone who has ever owned a purse or opened a bank account will know life isn’t cheap. Our most notable monthly expense may be rent, but groceries, household bills such as water and gas, gym memberships, entertainment and eating out should not be overlooked either. When taking an all-inclusive holiday, however, all the above are included in a one-off cost that’s usually cheaper than your costs at home. 

With this information in mind, it might not be such a bad idea to give your landlord your notice and live in a hotel by the beach for a while. No more cooking or doing the dishes: just a big chill break somewhere sunny. If you’re in between jobs, work remotely, or life is just dragging you down, it might be just what you need to get back on top of your game.

WHAT IS THE AVERAGE COST OF LIVING IN THE UK?

To those of us who have moved house once or twice, it won’t come as a surprise that living costs vary wildly across different parts of the UK. With the rent for a one-bedroom flat ranging from £659.78 a month on average in central Leeds to a whopping £1,728.55 a month in central London, the city you choose as your home base affects your expenses a lot. Other factors that contribute to our cost of living are transportation, clothing and shoes, sports and leisure, groceries, utilities and eating out.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the average cost of living in the UK per month comes down to £1,245.42. 

COST OF LIVING IN LONDON = ONE MONTH IN THE CARIBBEAN

London, the UK’s capital, is notorious for its expensive cost of living. A single person renting an apartment in the city centre will see their monthly costs soar to £2,542.19. For that same amount of money, they could be spending 4.4 weeks all-inclusive in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (Caribbean)*. If it’s between a white sandy beach on the Coconut Coast and a sad stretch of sand by the Thames, we think the choice is easily made.

Average cost of living in London:

• Four-person family monthly costs: £2,882.07 without rent 

• Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre: £3,320.24

• A single person monthly costs: £813.64 without rent

• Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre £1,728.55

• Cost of living rank 29th out of 372 cities in the world

• London has a cost of living index of 81.61

COST OF LIVING IN EDINBURGH = 5.4 WEEKS ALL INCLUSIVE IN CRETE 

Compared to London, the cost of living in Edinburgh is much more reasonable, with a single person spending an average of £1,419.43 on living expenses and rent in the city centre. That doesn’t take away from the fact, however, that for one month’s cost of living in Edinburgh, you could spend almost five-and-a-half weeks all-inclusive in a beach resort in Crete*. In terms of value for money, we’d rather be sipping drinks by the pool than marching up those seemingly endless steep streets of Edinburgh… 

Average cost of living in Edinburgh:

• Four-person family monthly costs: £2,285.51 without rent 

• Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre £1,377.94

• A single person monthly costs: £650.65 without rent

• Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre: £768.78

• Cost of living rank 116th out of 372 cities in the world

• Edinburgh has a cost of living index of 68.40

COST OF LIVING IN MANCHESTER = 7.1 WEEKS AT THE COSTA DEL SOL

Living in central Manchester? Then you can expect to spend £1,402.35‬ of rent and expenses each month. If you’d rather be catered to your every whim in an all-inclusive resort at the Costa del Sol, however, you can look forward to pools and parties for just over seven weeks for that same amount of money*! Time for a break from the daily grind? Wave goodbye to the home of Manchester City FC (and Manchester United, obviously) and fly off into the sunset!

Average cost of living in Manchester:

• Four-person family monthly costs: £2,192.95 without rent 

• Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre: £1,341.30

• A single person monthly costs: £634.64 without rent

• Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre: £767.71

• Cost of living rank 130th out of 372 cities in the world

• Manchester has a cost of living index of 66.28

COST OF LIVING IN BRISTOL = 9.1 WEEKS IN THE ALGARVE

Most Bristolians love their home town – however, everyone needs a big break now and then. If you’re thinking about taking time off to travel, you can spend just over nine weeks all-inclusive resort in the Algarve for the same amount of money you would spend on one month’s expenses and rent in Bristol*. Have an even more relaxed lifestyle for longer – what are you waiting for?

Average cost of living in Bristol:

• Four-person family monthly costs: £2,355.33 without rent 

• Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre: £1,458.70

• A single person monthly costs: £682.47 without rent

• Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre: £870.24

• Cost of living rank 94th out of 372 cities in the world

• Bristol has a cost of living index of 70.59

CAMBRIDGE COST OF LIVING = 10.4 WEEKS IN TURKEY

Living in Cambridge can get pretty pricey once your student days are over. A single person living in the city centre will spend on average £1,710.52‬ on monthly costs and rent. If you wanted to swap one beautiful university town for another, you could spend two months – double the time – in Alanya, Turkey for that same amount of money*! Swap St Mary’s Church Tower with the historical Kızıl Kule for a well-deserved change of scenery. 

Average cost of living in Cambridge:

• Four-person family monthly costs: £2,304.90 without rent 

• Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre £1,714.29

• A single person monthly costs: £674.81 without rent

• Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre £1,035.71

• Cost of living rank 103th out of 372 cities in the world

• Cambridge has a cost of living index of 69.54

COST OF LIVING IN BRIGHTON = 6.8 WEEKS ON IBIZA

Loving living by the beach but rather leave the UK for now? Abandon Brighton for Ibiza and enjoy a booming break in an all-inclusive resort in San Antonio. For £1,625.43‬ – the monthly cost of living in Brighton – you could spend almost seven weeks on the island of Ibiza*. Why not take some time off in between jobs and treat yourself to a party lifestyle?

Average cost of living in Brighton:

• Four-person family monthly costs: £2,343.93 without rent 

• Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre £1,750.00

• A single person monthly costs: £672.51 without rent

• Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre: £952.92

• Cost of living rank 90th out of 372 cities in the world

• Brighton has a cost of living index of 70.91

COST OF LIVING IN LEEDS = 6 WEEKS IN BENIDORM

Living in Leeds is cheap, but our holidays are even cheaper! For what you’d normally spend on living expenses (on average £1,258.05‬), you could take a six-weeks’ long holiday in Benidorm*. Replace Roundhay Park with Playa de Levante and pork pie with tapas and live the Spanish life for a while. Drunk and cold becomes drunk and hot when you sub-let your room and go to Ibiza. Woah!

Average cost of living in Leeds:

• Four-person family monthly costs: £2,080.20 without rent 

• Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre: £1,202.94

• A single person monthly costs: £598.27 without rent

• Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre: £659.78

• Cost of living rank 147th out of 372 cities in the world

• Leeds has a cost of living index of 64.17