Bristol is the UK’s most expensive city for space, according to research from a furniture company. 

Furl’s new Living Space Premium Index (0–100) measures how much people pay for living space across the UK’s 23 largest cities. 

London is excluded to enable a fair, like for like comparison between regional cities, as its scale and market dynamics make it an outlier. 

The index combines official earnings and rental data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) with analysis of current house and flat listings. 

It brings together housing costs, incomes, property sizes and population density to assess how much living space residents can access relative to what they pay. 

A higher score indicates a greater “premium” on space, meaning residents pay more while accessing less.

Bristol ranks highest, making it the city where residents get the least space for their money. 

It is followed by Brighton & Hove and Manchester, where high property prices, rising rents and smaller homes combine to create the most expensive living space relative to income.

The top 10 cities where space comes at the highest premium

These cities combine high housing costs with limited affordable living space, meaning residents are paying more while getting less in return.

1. Bristol
2. Brighton & Hove
3. Manchester
4. Southampton
5. Nottingham
6. Leicester
7. Birmingham
8. Portsmouth
9. Cardiff
10. Leeds

Full table listed below and here: https://www.furl.co.uk/knowledge-hub/space-premium-index 

The top 10 cities where buyers get the most space for their money

These areas benefit from lower property prices, larger homes and stronger affordability, allowing residents to access significantly more space.

1. Stoke-on-Trent
2. Aberdeen
3. Swansea
4. Kingston upon Hull
5. Edinburgh
6. Derby
7. Sheffield
8. Coventry
9. Plymouth
10. Wolverhampton

Full table listed below. 

Category winners & losers  include: 

Top three for the most spacious homes: 

1. Edinburgh 
2. Stoke-on-Trent 
3. Swansea 

Bottom three for the most spacious homes: 

1. Kingston upon Hull 
2. Manchester
3. Southampton 

Best value for buyers (lowest cost per sq ft): 

1. Kingston upon Hull 
2. Aberdeen 
3. Spoke-on-Trent 

Worst value for buyers (highest cost per sq ft): 

1. Brighton & Hove 
2. Manchester 
3. Bristol 

Where income buys the most sq ft: 

1. Aberdeen 
2. Kingston upon Hull 
3. Stoke-on-Trent 

Where income buys the least sq ft: 

1. Brighton & Hove 
2. Manchester 
3. Bristol 

Where income rents the most sq ft: 

1. Spoke-on-Trent 
2. Derby 
3. Aberdeen 

Where income rents the least sq ft: 

1. Bristol 
2. Brighton & Hove 
3. Manchester