Cost of living: Reading ranked most affordable places to live

According to a recent study by Budget Direct, the town was listed just below Oxford (first) and Glasgow (second) for having low living costs.

The company looked at basic costs including transport, utilities and rent and measured them against average salaries.

Reading’s average monthly salary is £3,010.76 and the cost of living salary is £1,781.53.

Here's the top ten places with the best cost of living in the UK:

Table: Budget Direct

READ MORE: Reading ranked one of the most affordable places to live in UK - do you agree?

Last week, we decided to carry out a poll asking our readers whether they think Reading is an affordable place to live.

With 69 votes in total, 77 per cent of readers disagreed with this with 13 per cent of voters saying they weren’t sure how it compared to other areas.

And only 10 per cent agreed it is an affordable place to live.

The result of our poll last week.

On our Facebook post, most comments from readers also didn’t agree with this with one comment saying: “That's why so many families have been priced out of that town. I pay £300 a month less for a bigger place two minutes from an award winning beach than what I paid for a small two bed flat in Reading.”

Another reader added: “No it’s one of the most expensive places to live.”

However, one reader shared her thoughts agreeing with the study.

Caroline Stevens said: “It’s why I moved to Berkshire from Middlesex, more for your money here.”

ALSO READ: Reading named in The Sunday Times Best Places To Live in 2022 - See full list

And Sarah Jayne Murphy added: “I’ve lived in Oxford, Brighton and Windsor and it’s definitely not the most expensive.”

Listed below are some of the worst places to live for cost of living, including Wolverhampton and Swansea:

Table: Budget Direct

The research came from the Budget Direct website.