'Everything I'm looking for in a city': Yorkshire's cheapest and most affordable areas to rent a home

Hull has topped a list of the most affordable places in which to rent a home in Yorkshire, based on the ratio of average rental prices to typical income by postcode area.

It’s beaten the likes of Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds and Sheffield in the latest rental affordability index produced by Canopy, a tenant and landlord services provider.

Numerous people have described how they moved to Hull from the south, including London, or from mainland Europe, and have no regrets.

Most of them were attracted by the cheaper house prices and have been surprised by how much they like living there.

One person said: “I moved here five years ago and I love it. There’s lots to do with kids, great pubs, and the house prices are also great.”

Another commented: “I moved to Hull from the south and I like it. I can actually afford to live. As for things to do, it depends on what you want. To me, there is just as much to do here as in other cities where I have lived. People are nicer too, in my opinion.”

A third person who made the move said: “It doesn't feel too big or have the 'ego' that some cities have, so it was super easy to feel like home.

“There's plenty to do for all different budgets, and the house prices are so good! Look for HU5 towards the Anlaby/Willerby area as this is the 'nicer' part.”

Another person who made the shorter move from Harrogate - one of Yorkshire’s most expensive places, with an average monthly rent of £774 - called Hull a ‘very good city centre’ with ‘lots to do’. They added that moving there was the ‘best decision we ever made’.

One newcomer summed up many people’s experiences, describing how they had at first ‘despaired’ upon learning they had to move from mainland Europe to Hull for work.

But when they ‘gave it a shot’, they said, they found out ‘it actually offers pretty much everything I'm looking for in a city’.

That includes, they explained, an ‘interesting’ and ‘varied’ arts offering, great leisure opportunities, from climbing to surfing, an ‘often miraculously good’ food and drink scene and a fantastic selection of independent shops.

Below are the nine most affordable postcode areas in which to rent a property in Yorkshire, based on the ratio of rental prices to income, according to Canopy. They are listed in reverse order, from least to most affordable.

If you’re interested in more Yorkshire property news, you might like our look at the cheapest neighbourhoods across the county in which to buy a house.