The commuter town named the UK’s top affordable location for families

With childcare expenses skyrocketing – and raising a toddler now costing £23,500 a year – cash-strapped parents could soon be flocking to Glenrothes.

That’s because the Fife town was recently named the UK’s most popular cheap destination for families to buy a home, with the typical three-bedroom house coming in at just £136,900.

Comparing this against the average income in the area (£78,200 for two full-time earners), Zoopla gave Glenrothes an affordability score of 1.8, placing it first on the ranking ahead of Llanelli in Wales and Dartford in Kent.

As well as enviably low property prices, Glenrothes residents can enjoy reasonable estimated monthly mortgage payments of £540 – less than half the current nationwide average of £1,202.

But that’s not all this Scottish commuter hub has to offer those who make the move.

Glenrothes at a glance

With a population of just under 40,000, Glenrothes is the third-largest settlement in Fife, but serves as the county’s administrative capital.

A post-war ‘new town’ – similar to the likes of Milton Keynes, Stevenage and East Kilbride – it was initially designed in the 1940s for the thriving local mining industry.

After the collieries closed, the town’s economy then transitioned to the world of tech, and Glenrothes is now best known for electronics and tech manufacturing.

Just over 30 miles from Edinburgh, it’s popular with commuters, who can get to the capital via direct train in around an hour.

It’s also the recipient of Beautiful Scotland and Britain in Bloom awards for its parks and landscaping, while boasting a wealth of public artworks.

What the locals say about Glenrothes

Despite its good points Glenrothes has suffered from periods of downturn over the years — which a major regeneration project, now underway, hopes to address.

And much like its fellow ‘new towns’, it has a fairly tough reputation among outsiders.

On Reddit, @Puzzleheaded_Rain asked if Glenrothes is ‘really as bad as people make it out to be’, leading @ApricotFew6579 to describe it as a ‘sh**hole’.

But some felt the negative stereotypes were harsh, including @Klumber, who wrote: ‘People are always negative about their town, it is inherent to human nature. A good mate of mine lives there and has never had any trouble. It’s affordable and has decent links to Edinburgh.’

In a separate thread, @Ancrux called it a ‘decent place to live’, claiming: ‘People who say Glenrothes is rough have never lived in a rough area.’

‘I’ve moved around to a few completely new towns as an adult, and Glenrothes was by far the most welcoming and has given me a good sense of community,’ added @RaggedToothRat.

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