Thousands of Londoners heading off to live in Birmingham

The most popular destination for people moving out of London is Birmingham, figures analysed by the BBC have revealed.

More than 6,000 people moved north to the UK's second biggest city in 2014-2015. Brighton and Hove was the next most popular destination, followed by Thurrock and Epping Forest, both in Essex.

Other popular destinations were Bristol, Elmbridge in Surrey, Medway and Dartford in Kent, and Manchester.

The figures include students, as well as people on low incomes offered grants to free up social housing in the capital. Many movers, though, are just looking for better-value homes.

According to Rightmove, most sales in Birmingham over the last year have been terraced properties, selling for an average price of £144,943. Semi-detached houses sold for an average of £180,031, with flats fetching £140,179.

In London, by contrast, most sales involved flats - and even these sold for an average of £495,266. Terraced properties averaged £633,793, while semi-detached homes fetched £626,667.

Birmingham, which covers 80 square miles and has a population of over one million people, has a lot going for it in other ways, too. It has great transport links, with both Manchester and London less than 90 minutes away, and there's been a huge amount of investment in recent years.

There are three major theatres, as well as three major art galleries, and it's home to the Birmingham Royal Ballet and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

For shopping, there's the redeveloped Bullring Centre, housing Selfridges, as well as a series of Victorian arcades and markets and more than 500 jewellery businesses in the Jewellery Quarter.

The city's famous for its curries, and there's a thriving night life - as well as, famously, more canals than Venice.

But it's not entirely paradise. Just under a year ago, MoneySuperMarket surveyed the UK's 12 biggest cities, looking at the cost of housing, salaries, disposable income and the cost of living, as well as unemployment rates and life satisfaction.

And Birmingham came last on the list - although, it has to be said, London didn't score much better.