Buying a home in the UK is over a £100 a month cheaper than renting, according to Halifax.
The lender said its latest research indicated that the typical monthly cost of buying a three bedroom house in the UK was £600 in December 2011, £116 (or 16%) lower than the average monthly rent of £716 paid on the same property type.
This compared with three years ago when the average cost of buying was 29% higher than the average rent paid. The monthly costs associated with buying accounted for 29% of average UK disposable income in 2011, compared to 47% in 20082.
Home buying costs have fallen by more than a quarter (£328) since 2008, driven by a decline in the average monthly mortgage payment of nearly one-third (£242) due to the marked fall in mortgage rates and house prices. The mortgage rate for a new borrower has been reduced to an average of 3.63% in 2011 from 5.75% in 2008, while the average house price has dropped by 11% over the same period.
Meanwhile, the average cost of renting has risen by 9% (£62) since 2009. Higher demand for rental property, driven partly by the difficulties for potential buyers entering the housing market, has pushed up rents.
Over the past 12 months, buying costs have dropped by 5% whilst the typical cost of renting has risen by 5%, continuing the trends seen in 2010.
Despite having higher absolute costs, buying is currently most affordable relative to renting in London with the average borrower in the capital paying 10.2% less per month than the typical private tenant. At the other end of the spectrum, Wales is the only region where renting remains cheaper than buying.
The number of buyers entering the market has continued to decline despite the improvement in the affordability of buying compared with renting since 2008. Halifax estimates that there were around 510,000 home purchases with a mortgage in 2011: the lowest annual total since 1974 and 6% lower than in 2010. Much of this decline can be attributed to the increase in the size of the deposit required, with the size of the average deposit put down more than doubling over the past decade. In addition, higher costs related to moving home such as stamp duty and estate agents fees have also added to the overall cost of home buying.
Martin Ellis, housing economist at Halifax, said: “The affordability gains for buyers relative to renters in the last three years have been significant. The average mortgage payment has fallen dramatically over recent years as a result of falling house prices and mortgage rates. At the same time