Birmingham, United Kingdom - Expensive housing, an overloaded transport system and a lack of space are driving thousands of Londoners out of the hectic British capital to other, calmer cities such as Birmingham.
The shortage of affordable housing is a major theme of campaigning for the May 7 general election and the National Bureau of Statistics says a record 60,000 people aged 30-39 left London between June 2012 and June 2013.
Rather than treading the well-worn route of relocating from the city to the countryside, many have chosen to move to the central city of Birmingham, Bristol in the southwest, or Manchester in the north.
"Rental prices (in Birmingham) are half of what they are in London," said Kelly Convey, travel blogger for Expedia. "London is becoming exceptionally hard to be able to afford."
Buying a property costs an average of £500,000 in London ($742,000, 695,000 euros), compared to an average of £120,000 in Birmingham.
Despite the employment and lifestyle benefits of the capital, not everyone is willing to spend every last penny on London life.
Journalist Tom Cullen moved to Birmingham in 2013 after living in London for 12 years, setting up an e-magazine, ichoosebirmingham.com, which reviews food, culture and entertainment in Birmingham.
"Birmingham made me the best offer," he said in a December article for the Independent newspaper.
"Birmingham won through house prices, culture, restaurants and bars... good schools... space, and low start-up costs for new companies."
Chris Pyatt, 29, chose Birmingham to launch his web design company because it is cheaper than London while being close to the capital, which is under an hour and a half away by train.
"It has a big catchment area -- because we are in the middle of the country, we are accessible," he said in his office on the top floor of a neo-Georgian building, five minutes' walk from the main railway station.
AFP
