How do property prices in the UK compare to those of the rest of the world? We estimated the average cost of a city-centre two-bed flat in 99 countries to find out. Of these, the UK was the 13th most expensive, at £254,000. The average across all countries was £148,000, which makes the UK’s figure 71% higher than the global average.

The most expensive place to buy a flat is Hong Kong (too small to be seen on the map), with a two-bed flat costing an eye-watering £1.4 million – nine times the global average.

The 5 most expensive countries 1. Hong Kong: £1,388,000

2. Singapore: £860,000

3. Switzerland: £501,000

4. South Korea: £478,000

5. Japan: £391,000 The 5 cheapest countries 1. Pakistan: £29,000

2. Venezuela: £30,000

3. Egypt: £33,000

4. Tunisia: £35,000

5. Uzbekistan: £39,000

On the other end of the spectrum, the cheapest place for property appears to be Pakistan, where a flat of the same size would cost you a modest £29,000, 80% below average.

Wherever you decide to live, you’ll need some help along the way. Find out how to get a mortgage for an overseas property. You will also need to find a trusted provider to transfer your money overseas. If you’re aiming to get on the property ladder in the UK, check out our guide for first-time buyers for advice and tips on all the help that is available to you.

How do prices compare across Europe?

The average cost of a flat in Europe is £154,000, only marginally more than the global average of £148,000. However, the cost of a flat varies between European countries, with the most expensive country (Switzerland, £501,000) costing over £450,000 more than the cheapest (Moldova, £43,000). The UK is the 5th most expensive country in Europe to buy a 2-bedroom flat at £100,000 more than the European average (£254,000).

European regions compared

We compared the different regions of Europe to see how the price of a flat compares. Eastern Europe is the cheapest region to buy a flat in, at an average cost of £84,000. Whereas a flat in Western Europe, the most expensive region, will cost over 3.2 times more at £275,000, over £190,000 more expensive. The average cost of a flat in Northern Europe (the region including the UK) is £198,000 while Southern Europe costs £107,000.

Explore the map and the table below to find out more about the cost of a flat around Europe.

70% Prefix Country Country Subregion Cost of a 2-bed flat Compared to European average Switzerland Western Europe £501,000 325.32% France Western Europe £319,000 207.14% Norway Northern Europe £289,000 187.66% Sweden Northern Europe £259,000 168.18% United Kingdom Northern Europe £254,000 164.94% Germany Western Europe £247,000 160.39% Finland Northern Europe £241,000 156.49% Austria Western Europe £234,000 151.95% Denmark Northern Europe £233,000 151.30% Iceland Northern Europe £210,000 136.36% Netherlands Western Europe £199,000 129.22% Ireland Northern Europe £188,000 122.08% Czech Republic Eastern Europe £182,000 118.18% Italy Southern Europe £167,000 108.44% Belgium Western Europe £152,000 98.70% Spain Southern Europe £142,000 92.21% Slovenia Southern Europe £135,000 87.66% Portugal Southern Europe £129,000 83.77% Croatia Southern Europe £124,000 80.52% Estonia Northern Europe £119,000 77.27% Poland Eastern Europe £108,000 70.13% Lithuania Northern Europe £106,000 68.83% Hungary Eastern Europe £104,000 67.53% Slovakia Eastern Europe £100,000 64.94% Serbia Southern Europe £94,000 61.04% Latvia Northern Europe £85,000 55.19% Greece Southern Europe £79,000 51.30% Montenegro Southern Europe £70,000 45.45% Romania Eastern Europe £69,000 44.81% Belarus Eastern Europe £68,000 44.16% Albania Southern Europe £64,000 41.56% Bosnia and Herzegovina Southern Europe £63,000 40.91% Russia Eastern Europe £58,000 37.66% Bulgaria Eastern Europe £55,000 35.71% Ukraine Eastern Europe £51,000 33.12% Moldova Eastern Europe £43,000 27.92%

The full list of countries

Country Average price per square meter for city centre flat Price for two-bed flat Hong Kong £23,489 £1,388,000 Singapore £14,557 £860,000 Switzerland £8,482 £501,000 South Korea £8,091 £478,000 Japan £6,621 £391,000 Taiwan £6,269 £371,000 France £5,394 £319,000 Israel £5,387 £318,000 China £5,229 £309,000 Norway £4,892 £289,000 Kuwait £4,523 £267,000 Sweden £4,380 £259,000 United Kingdom £4,304 £254,000 Germany £4,186 £247,000 Finland £4,077 £241,000 Australia £4,004 £237,000 Austria £3,952 £234,000 Denmark £3,935 £233,000 New Zealand £3,695 £218,000 Iceland £3,546 £210,000 Canada £3,525 £208,000 Qatar £3,445 £204,000 Netherlands £3,368 £199,000 Ireland £3,177 £188,000 Czech Republic £3,072 £182,000 Kenya £3,036 £179,000 Thailand £2,853 £169,000 Italy £2,831 £167,000 Lebanon £2,792 £165,000 Belgium £2,567 £152,000 Spain £2,398 £142,000 United Arab Emirates £2,406 £142,000 Slovenia £2,281 £135,000 Portugal £2,187 £129,000 Bahrain £2,173 £128,000 Argentina £2,129 £126,000 Croatia £2,102 £124,000 Estonia £2,019 £119,000 United States £2,017 £119,000 Uruguay £1,853 £110,000 Poland £1,832 £108,000 Lithuania £1,793 £106,000 Hungary £1,766 £104,000 Vietnam £1,733 £102,000 Sri Lanka £1,712 £101,000 Iran £1,696 £100,000 Slovakia £1,694 £100,000 Cyprus £1,646 £97,000 Malaysia £1,646 £97,000 Panama £1,606 £95,000 Serbia £1,583 £94,000 Philippines £1,554 £92,000 Chile £1,502 £89,000 Costa Rica £1,510 £89,000 Latvia £1,435 £85,000 Greece £1,342 £79,000 Brazil £1,271 £75,000 Guatemala £1,257 £74,000 Indonesia £1,241 £73,000 Peru £1,231 £73,000 Armenia £1,209 £71,000 Montenegro £1,185 £70,000 Syria £1,190 £70,000 Romania £1,175 £69,000 Belarus £1,153 £68,000 Ecuador £1,151 £68,000 Morocco £1,148 £68,000 Albania £1,091 £64,000 Bosnia And Herzegovina £1,063 £63,000 Mexico £1,069 £63,000 Azerbaijan £1,056 £62,000 Colombia £1,049 £62,000 Iraq £1,042 £62,000 India £999 £59,000 Algeria £984 £58,000 Russia £988 £58,000 Nepal £972 £57,000 Paraguay £967 £57,000 Jordan £954 £56,000 Bulgaria £930 £55,000 Dominican Republic £909 £54,000 Kosovo £897 £53,000 Bangladesh £882 £52,000 Ukraine £868 £51,000 Kazakhstan £824 £49,000 Bolivia £809 £48,000 Georgia £770 £46,000 Saudi Arabia £784 £46,000 South Africa £785 £46,000 Moldova £726 £43,000 Namibia £688 £41,000 Nigeria £694 £41,000 Turkey £669 £40,000 Honduras £667 £39,000 Uzbekistan £662 £39,000 Tunisia £598 £35,000 Egypt £565 £33,000 Venezuela £501 £30,000 Pakistan £498 £29,000

The top 10 most expensive cities for a flat

City Average cost of flat in city Compared to global average Hong Kong, Hong Kong £1,397,000 944% Singapore, Singapore £863,000 583% London, United Kingdom £758,000 512% Seoul, South Korea £707,000 478% New York, NY, United States £677,000 457% Beijing, China £661,000 447% Taipei, Taiwan £616,000 416% Shanghai, China £609,000 411% San Francisco, CA, United States £600,000 406% Geneva, Switzerland £600,000 406%

See the stats for these 8 UK cities

City Price per square meter in city centre Average cost of 2-bed flat Compared to global average London £12,824 £758,000 512% Cambridge £5,861 £346,000 234% Brighton £5,463 £323,000 218% Liverpool £4,960 £293,000 198% Bristol £4,460 £264,000 178% Edinburgh £4,119 £243,000 164% Manchester £3,844 £227,000 153% Birmingham £3,134 £185,000 125%

These statistics show that prices for a city centre flat in the UK are generally comparable to our European and global counterparts. London is very much the exception to this rule though, with a central flat being out of reach for almost all young Brits trying to get a foot on the property ladder.”



“If you’re a first-time buyer looking to purchase a flat or house, there are various ways that you can get assistance. Help to buy schemes allow you to earn tax-free interest, and the government also adds 25% to your savings (up to £3,000), which is a no-brainer if you’re serious about purchasing. People are increasingly looking at shared-ownership as well. This allows you to purchase part of a flat from a housing association and will result in a lower deposit and monthly payments. You can then purchase more of the flat as and when you’re able to. You can see more helpful information on this dedicated page.”” – Jon Ostler, UK CEO at finder.com

Sources Numbeo

The median area of a two-bed flat in the UK, according to a 2010 dwelling size survey, is 59.11 square metres. Therefore each price per square metre was multiplied by 59.11 to get the cost of a two-bed flat in each country.

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