Allstate Northern Ireland has started a new ‘Time to Return’ campaign, aimed at recruiting experienced full stack developers to its Belfast office.
The tech firm’s promotion highlights Belfast’s affordability in relation to rent and the cost of common luxuries such as going out for coffee or a meal. Northern Ireland’s capital is substantially more affordable to live in than a number of other large cities, including Sydney, London and Dublin.
Numbeo's cost of living index currently, by city
The latest statistics from NISRA show that in the year ending mid-2016, 22,300 people left Northern Ireland to live elsewhere, which was a 3.8% increase from the year ending mid-2015.
According to crowd-sourced database Numbeo, you would only need £2,640.67 in Belfast to maintain the same standard of life you would have with €5,000.00 in Dublin (assuming you rent in both cities). The site added that rent prices generally in Belfast are nearly 59% lower than that of Dublin.
Peter Eastwood, a senior product designer at Allstate NI discussed his own reasons for moving back to Belfast from Dublin. He said: “I will always miss Dublin but leaving there for Belfast was a no-brainer considering the stark contrast in rent prices. The role in Allstate was also too good an opportunity to turn down, with high quality training and opportunities to travel and work with multiple disciplines. I have lots of friends in Belfast which made the transition much easier. The journey home to Derry at weekends is also much easier than from Dublin. Belfast has a great nightlife with lots of live music on offer and some great restaurants and cafes.”
He added that his salary goes a lot further now: “Within a year of moving to Belfast I was able to buy a two-bedroom house just outside the city centre. It takes just six minutes to cycle to work. Taxis and transport in general are much cheaper also.”
Peter advised others to move to Belfast, “not just because the cost of living is cheaper and it's manageable to buy a house, but because Belfast has lots going on culturally with lots of opportunity.”
If you are an experienced technologist and are interested in joining Allstate NI, e mail belfast2020@allstate.com to find out more.
