Investing Insiders Weekly #11

Top Story

IT’S OFFICIAL: The North West is the UK’s cheapest region to live in… and it’s bad news for Londoners

We have conducted a nationwide study of UK wages and house price data to find out housing affordability across the UK, and found that Burnley in Lancashire is the cheapest place to live, with the average house costing £120,719 – 4.38 times the average annual salary of £27,565.20 (or £530 a month).

At the other end of the scale, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea was the most expensive, with average house prices of £1,345,813 against a median weekly salary of £703.70.

✔️The good news: Plenty of thriving towns around the UK are offering affordable housing compared to local average wages.

❌The bad news: It’s not good for those looking to get within an inch of the capital, where house prices and general living costs still dwarf average salaries.

💡The takeaway: If you’re open to where you live and have the flexibility to choose, it could be worth getting a foot on the housing ladder out of a major city. You’ll get more for your money and this will allow you to pocket more in savings to spend later.

Map Of The Week 📈

On the same topic… our map of affordability around the UK was so striking because of the lack of the blue end of the scale (earnings of around £800+ per week) anywhere on it. If you look closely, you’ll just about see a blue dot somewhere over London. 

There is, however, a considerable amount of orange (earnings sitting around £600-£700 a week),  with most of the yellow – indicating medium-higher wages – surrounding the capital. 

It’s a reminder that a lot of the UK’s wealth is concentrated in small areas, and much of the UK is still living on below average wages.

The map on our site is interactive, so you can hover over and check the affordability of every area.

Pension watch

You can now see exactly how your pension fund has performed with our comprehensive tool.

It’s free to use and covers all pension funds – all you have to do is choose your provider, which you can find out by checking any paperwork related to your pension from your employer, and then finding the fund name, which should also be in your paperwork or online portal.

From The Regulator…

In-surance-ly not: Rising insurance premiums are NOT because insurers are profiteering, regulator says…

🤓In a nutshell: The finance watchdog released a report this week claiming that rising car insurance costs are nothing to do with insurers seeking out higher profits and are instead because of various other external costs and rising claims. Sure, whatever you say, chief…

Why does it matter? Insurers have been under scrutiny by the Government and the regulator for soaring premiums – the amount people pay each month or year for their insurance.

It comes as the same research by the regulator has found that complaint volumes are very high among insurers. Right…

💡The takeaway: It looks like car insurance costs aren’t coming down any time soon. BUT, the Association of British Insurers has said it will work with the industry to tackle these apparently uncontrollable issues that are pushing up prices, so… maybe we will see some respite in the long run.

In the meantime, make sure to shop around for the best deal and use comparison websites. Check if a small change to your habits, like parking somewhere more secure, or simply updating your details could knock a few pounds off your premiums.

Deal Of The Week 💵

Want to boost your bank balance?

Barclays Bank has joined the ranks of lenders re-launching switching deals, with Barclays now offering a £175 cash bonus if you switch before 28 August.

The catches: You must pay £1,500 into your new account and set up at least two direct debits. You’ll also need to log into the Barclays app.

Earlier this month, Lloyds Bank launched a £185 cash bonus if you switch to one of its Club Lloyds current accounts before 28 July 2025. You need to set up at least three direct debits to qualify.