A man fed up of paying sky-high rent on his accomodation figured it would be cheaper to spend a month in a five-star resort in Turkey – and set out to prove it. Josh Kerr, 24, did the sums and found it would be cheaper to live in an all-inclusive hotel in Alanya for a month than to pay his own rent at a city-centre flat in Manchester.
Josh said: “I pay £950 for my rent, bills, council tax and that. Here you’re getting breakfast, lunch, evening meal, drinks, snacks and a gaff for £937.10! That’s with flights as well. What are we doing in England?”
Josh was inspired by a TikTok video shared by an American influencer who said it was cheaper to live in an all-inclusive resort than to pay rent. He said: “I thought, I’ve got to give this a go.”
He shared a video showing his search for a month-long break in Turkey on the On the Beach site – and the travel company spotted it. They offered him the break to test it out.
Sharing a video from the hotel resort, Josh said: “You can get as many plates of food as you want and as many drinks as you like as all-inclusive comes as standard.”
The hotel Josh stayed in was 300 metres from a beach. He shared a video showing the view from his flat in Manchester, where it was pouring with rain. The hotel also had its own on-site spa and a traditional Turkish bath as well as five pools.
After the success of the trip, On the Beach has crunched the numbers to reveal where Brits could trade their rental bills for a dream getaway. Based on the rental costs of the 50 most populated cities in the UK, the average cost monthly stands at £1058.60pcm. By looking into 31,000 holiday packages including flights, accommodation and board, On the Beach has revealed the top 10 destinations where you could spend a 28-night stay for less than renting in the UK.
The top 10 destinations cheaper to visit than paying UK rent are:
Turkey takes the top spot as the cheapest destination. Two people could swap out grey skies for stunning Mediterranean beaches for an average of just £892 for the entire trip. Antalya, Turkey, offers Brits the best value for money, with the cheapest stay priced at just £543, working out at £271 per person. Additionally, for those looking for an all-inclusive option, Antalya also delivers the best deal, with a stay at the Cleopatra Golden Beach Hotel coming in at just £1,036 for two people.
Malta takes second place, offering 111 holiday packages priced lower than the average UK rental costs. A trip to the Mediterranean island is an average of £152 cheaper than a month’s rent. The most affordable option in Malta is a stay for two at the 3 * Relax Inn, available from just £640 for two people.
Portugal follows closely in third, averaging 13.92% cheaper than UK rental costs. Other noteworthy destinations in the top 10 include Spain, a British favourite, ranking fifth with over 100 packages available. Additionally, while the Balearic Islands are typically considered a more expensive choice, 13 holiday packages were found there priced below the average UK rent offering budget-friendly getaways.
Top 10 UK cities where residents can find holidays abroad cheaper than their monthly rent:
With rental costs varying across the UK, On the Beach has uncovered the cities with the highest rents and highlighted where residents can get more bang for their buck with a cheap holiday.
Unsurprisingly, London takes the top spot, with average rental costs hitting £2,767pcm. Analysts at On the Beach found a staggering 31,008 28-night stay holiday packages available for less than the typical London rent, on average £862 cheaper. With the cheapest holiday package costing a total of £543 for two, Londoners could enjoy a month-long holiday for up to 80% less than their average monthly rent.
Residents in Bristol are paying the second highest rental costs in the UK, averaging at £1,753pcm. Bristolians could swap a month’s rent for one of 11,641 holiday packages, which are roughly £333 cheaper than renting in the city.
Brighton ranked in third place with an average rent of £1,749pcm, meaning residents could swap Brighton Pier for a balmy escape abroad for an average of £1,417, a saving of some 19%. Other cities to highlight include Edinburgh, standing out as the only city north of Cambridge to make it into the top 10. Edinburgh residents could trade a month’s rent – averaging at £1,485 – for one of 6,059 holiday packages found, which cost an average of 17% less than renting at home.
Zoe Harris, chief customer officer at On the Beach, said: “There are more than 1,000 28-day stay holidays that are cheaper than the cost of monthly rent in the UK. Imagine, working and living abroad all year, 13 holidays in 13 destinations and you still won’t have spent as much as what it takes to rent in the UK.
“Not to mention, on all-inclusive holidays you get your food and drink included, so you can say goodbye to food inflation in the UK, and don’t even get me started on the weather!”