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Ultimate Moving Guide To Belfast

moving to belfast

Thinking About Moving To Belfast? 

Known for its active nightlife, cultural diversity, and historical artefacts, you can never go wrong with the city of Belfast. It is guaranteed that you will have a happy and fulfilling life in the city where the Titanic was built. Aware of its troubled history, Belfast has become a modern, thriving, growing city serving as an inspiration to all cities that they can also reclaim their lost glory in their own right. 
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Brief Overview Of The City of Belfast

Standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the eastern coast of Ireland, Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland. It is currently the largest city in Northern Ireland and second on the east coast of Ireland, only after Dublin. Home to over 585,000 UK residents, Belfast is one of the more popular cities in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Belfast played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution as one of the biggest linen makers on the planet. Another key industry of Belfast was shipbuilding. The Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast is considered one of the world’s greatest. This is also where the infamous RMS Titanic was built. Unfortunately, the city lost some of its lustrs after the Second World War in 1939-1945. Belfast, meaning mouth of the Farset, became one of the world’s most dangerous cities in the 1970s and 1980s. For a time, Belfast was the bad sheep of the UK — the entire city spiralling down to a life of crime and drugs. However, Belfast quickly outgrew that phase and is now one of the thriving economic centres of Ireland. So if you’re planning to move there, that would be a great idea. Just make sure you ask help from a Removals or Man and Van in Belfast to make your move a lot easy!

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Tourist Attractions In Belfast

When you move to Belfast, there are a lot of tourist attractions that you might find worthy of your time. According to the Belfast City Government website, Belfast welcomes over 9.5 million tourists each year, making Tourism one of the most significant contributing factors of Belfast’s economy. The Belfast government has put a lot of focus on the tourism sector of Belfast laying down the Belfast Integrated Tourism Strategy that’s set from 2015-2020.

living in belfast

One tourist attraction that receives millions of tourists is the Titanic Belfast. As homage to the tragic RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912, Belfast created the Titanic Belfast. RMS Titanic, perhaps more known as the plot of the film that put Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet on the map, is one of history’s deadliest peacetime commercial marine disasters. On its maiden voyage to New York, it hit an iceberg and sank. Of the 2,224 passengers and crew on board, over 1,500 died.  Titanic Belfast pays respect to the luxurious cruise line allowing visitors to make their way through 9 interactive galleries of the Titanic Experience and explore the symbolism of the Discovery Tour. You can also walk the decks of the last remaining White Star Vessel SS Nomadic and go through the historic Slipways to uncover the true legend of Titanic. Another tourist attraction of Belfast is a world-class entertainment and conference venue named the Waterfront Hall. Overlooking the River Lagan in Central Belfast, Waterfront Hall had seen over five million visitors since its opening in 1997. The venue now attracts remarkable musicians and performers from around the world. When you move to Belfast, you can watch many world-class concerts or grab a meal at the Arc Brasserie, the on-site restaurant that would allow you to eat with the breathtaking view of the River Lagan. Another Belfast must-see is the Ulster Museum. The museum boasts of so many historical artefacts like Princess Takabuti, a 2, 500-year-old Egyptian Mummy unwrapped in Belfast in 1835. The museum, consisting of several floors, is filled to the brim with modern masterpieces, priceless, ancient relics and a culturally diverse collection of art, history, and natural science exhibits. These are just a small percentage of the activities that you might do or places to go to in Belfast. It is guaranteed that you will not get bored when you’re living in Belfast.

Education In Belfast

Belfast does not lack in the education sector. Of course, when you move to Belfast, one of the huge factors that you have to consider is the availability of quality education. It would be a relief for you to know that there are a lot of universities in Belfast that will provide you or your children with world-class schooling.  Many of the residents of Belfast have transferred there to study at the handful of universities in the city. Over time, they have fallen in love with the life in Belfast and has decided to transfer there permanently.  Queen’s University at Belfast, Union Theological College, and Belfast Met are just some of the universities that you might want to enrol at when you live in Belfast. The student population of Belfast is a considerable one. If you are a student looking to move to Belfast, you might want to check out this Student Moving Checklist. 

Jobs In Belfast

Another factor that you have to take into consideration is the availability of jobs in Belfast. It goes without saying that it should be one of the priorities that you have to consider. It would be foolish for you to move to a place where there are no available jobs. This would bring in a lot of financial problems for you, especially when you do not have adequate savings. Belfast provides a lot of diverse job opportunities. As Northern Ireland’s educational and commercial hub, Belfast is a thriving economic centre that is welcoming thousands of new residents each year. Professionals looking for a change of scenery and pace will also be delighted to know that Belfast is great for both young and old professionals. The unemployment rate in Belfast is one of the lowest around the United Kingdom. In fact, the unemployment rate in Belfast is lower than the average in both Northern Ireland and the UK. With Belfast stripping away its violent past, it has gained much more tourists. Today, millions of tourists come in to enjoy the scenery of Belfast. The Tourism sector in Ireland is one of the economies that you can be employed in.

Cost Of Living In Belfast (versus the city of London)

When thinking of moving to Belfast, the cost of living is another one of the things that you have to consider. For many, the cost of living is one major factor that would determine whether you would actually be able to live in Belfast or not. Fortunately for you, studies have found that Belfast has the 3rd least expensive essential utilities (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) in Northern Europe. A considerable part of the population in Belfast are people who have transferred from a city with higher living expenses. This means that for the same standard of living in London, you would need a smaller amount to afford that in Belfast. For example, you would only need around 2,614.87£ in Belfast to maintain the lifestyle that you would have paid 4,700£ for in London.

According to Numbeo, here are some of the prices in the city of Belfast in comparison to those of London.

  • Consumer Prices in Belfast are 27.33% lower than in London
  • Consumer Prices Including Rent in Belfast are 44.36% lower than in London
  • Rent Prices in Belfast are 66.10% lower than in London
  • Restaurant Prices in Belfast are 17.18% lower than in London
  • Groceries Prices in Belfast are 15.11% lower than in London
  • Local Purchasing Power in Belfast is 22.16% higher than in London
Planning a house move? Check out our article on house moving costs.

Real Estate In Belfast

You need a place to live in Belfast. This means that you have to pay a lot of rent. Rent is honestly one of the most significant expense that we all have to pay. Because buying a house is way too expensive and to be honest a bit impractical, the majority of the population in Belfast choose to rent. Rent prices in Belfast vary depending on different factors such as size, type of house, closeness to the city, etc. However, here are some of the average prices of rent in Belfast, according to MoverDB.

Monthly Rental Prices In Belfast, Northern Ireland

    • 1 bedroom flat (apartment) in City Centre: £400+
    • 1 bedroom flat outside the City Centre: £280+
    • 3 bedroom flat in the City Centre: £650+
    • 3 bedroom flat outside the City Centre: £495+

Belfast Home Purchase Prices

    • Price per square metre (10.7 square feet) to buy in city Centre: £2,241
    • Price per square metre (10.7 square feet) to buy outside city: £1,750

Self-Storage Facilities In Belfast

Jobs are abundant in Belfast and the cost of living is lower, but it still can be pricey, especially for students or professionals with kids. Aside from that, the global economy is unstable, so it would be prudent to save up and have a little bit of cash in case of a lean year or an emergency. One way on how to save in Belfast is to rent out self-storage facilities. Instead of renting a huge place just so you can have space for your items, it would be better if you just get a smaller place and then store your items in a remote storage facility. You might also want to read our moving house checklist for more useful tips in relocating!    

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