A man swapped his Manchester flat for an all-inclusive hotel stay in Turkey because it worked out cheaper.
Josh Kerr, 24, was browsing the holiday booking site On the Beach when he came across the five-star resort offering a 28-day stay for £938.
He shared a video on TikTok discussing the surprising deal, telling his 227,000 followers: “I pay £950 for my rent, bills, council tax. Here, you’re getting breakfast, lunch, an evening meal, drinks, snacks and the gaff for £937.10.
“That’s with flights as well. What are we doing in England?”
Spotting the viral video, On the Beach sent Mr Kerr on the trip, although to a different resort. In a follow-up post, he revealed: “The hotel I showed in the first video doesn’t open until March, but there’s another five-star [resort], and it’s still cheaper than living in Manchester.”
Holiday packages cheaper than rent
After the success of Mr Kerr’s trip, On the Beach crunched the numbers to find out where Britons could swap rental costs for extended holidays.
Analysing rental prices across the UK’s 50 largest cities and comparing them with over 31,000 holiday packages, the study identified destinations where a 28-night stay is cheaper than the average UK rent of £1,058.60 per month.
Turkey emerged as the most affordable option, with two people enjoying Mediterranean beaches for an average of just £892, including flights, accommodation, and board. The cheapest stay was found in Antalya, priced at just £543 for two.
Malta ranked second, offering 111 packages below the UK average rent, with trips starting at £640 for two. Portugal placed third, while Spain, including its typically pricier Balearic Islands, also offered budget-friendly options.
Cities with the highest rents
London topped the list of UK cities with the highest rents, averaging £2,767 per month. On the Beach identified over 31,000 holiday packages priced significantly lower than London’s rental costs.
Residents of Bristol (£1,753pcm) and Brighton (£1,749pcm) could also benefit, with thousands of affordable packages available.
Edinburgh stood out as the only northern city in the top 10, where residents could save an average of 17% by holidaying abroad.
Zoe Harris, Chief Customer Officer at On the Beach, commented: “There are more than 1,000 28-day stay holidays that are cheaper than the cost of monthly rent in the UK. Imagine, working and living abroad all year, 13 holidays in 13 destinations and you still won’t have spent as much as what it takes to rent in the UK.
“Not to mention, on all-inclusive holidays you get your food and drink included, so you can say goodbye to food inflation in the UK, and don’t even get me started on the weather.”
