London, New York, and Dubai top list of most sought-after cities for international home buyers in 2024

A recent study conducted by experts at Deluxe Holiday Homes has revealed the top cities where people are searching to buy homes in 2024.

The research used Google’s Keyword Planner to calculate the average search volumes for phrases like “buy a house in” and Numbeo data for insights on average price per square meter, quality of life, and living costs.

London leads as the most sought-after city for home buyers with 1.7 million searches, despite having a very high average price of nearly $9,700 per square meter.

The city’s high quality of life and reasonable cost of living at $1,300 drive this high interest.

New York ranks second with 932,000 searches, thanks to its high quality of life index and housing prices that are almost seven times more affordable compared to London, despite the city’s generally high cost of living.

Dubai comes in third place with 717,000 monthly searches, primarily due to the city’s affordable housing prices, offering the lowest cost per square meter at $428 among the top cities.

The combination of affordability, high quality of life, and reasonable cost of living has made Dubai an attractive option for homebuyers.

Other cities in the top ten include Edinburgh (457,000 searches), Sydney (313,000 searches), Singapore (291,000 searches), Dublin (156,000 searches), Amsterdam (110,000 searches), Barcelona (99,000 searches), and San Francisco (87,000 searches).

These cities attract home buyers with various factors such as quality of life, cost of living, and property prices.

Edinburgh and Dublin appeal with their high quality of life and reasonable cost of living, while Singapore and San Francisco stand out for their affordable property prices relative to other cities on the list.

Amsterdam and Barcelona draw attention with their exceptional quality of life scores and manageable costs of living, despite high property prices.

The study highlights the diverse preferences and considerations of international home buyers, with cities offering a balance of quality of life, affordability, and living standards garnering the most interest.