The Burrow
Apr 2, 2026
As homes become more expensive, it’s becoming harder for first-time buyers to furnish their spaces without overstepping their budget. Since store-bought furniture can fetch a high price, many new homeowners are turning to second-hand furniture sold through online marketplaces and vintage shops to save pennies in the process, but which cities around the world are the best for finding pre-loved décor?
As home and contents insurance comparison experts, we’ve ranked the top cities in the US, the UK, and Australia to see where the second-hand furniture market is thriving. By comparing the number of online listings for second-hand furniture and their average prices, we’ve scored each city on a scale of 0 to 100. Here are the cities that topped our rankings.
We compared furniture costs across 18 of the largest US cities to find out which areas are best for buyers. These are the places that scored the highest on our index:
While Philadelphia doesn’t have as many second-hand furniture listings as other similarly sized cities (89 listings per 100k residents), its low prices make it the #1 destination in the US for decorating your home with pre-loved items. The average item costs just $738 USD ($1,095.20 AUD), making it the second most affordable city in the country for buyers. Plus, with 16.5% of listings costing under $20 USD, it’s easy to find a bargain near you!
Nearly a third of the city’s double bed listings are under $20 (31.7%), despite the average unit costing $1,732 USD ($2,570.31 AUD), meaning you can find huge discounts if you look hard enough. With a total score of 67.15 out of 100, it comfortably leads the US for second-hand furniture options.
With 209 listings per 100k residents, San Jose has one of the largest pre-owned furniture markets in the US. Although bargain hunters might be put off by its average price of $1,102 USD ($1,635.38 AUD), 16.7% of the city’s online furniture listings fall under the $20 mark, which is a bigger share than anywhere else in the country. Although double beds are the item with the most options under $20 USD (26.5%), coffee tables fetch the lowest average price in San Jose, with a typical unit costing just $206 USD ($305.71 AUD).
San Jose is regarded as one of the more expensive US cities for cost of living, so it’s no surprise that many residents turn to second-hand options when decorating their homes. Its total score of 62.72 out of 100 puts it in second place on our list.
Scoring 62.09 on our second-hand furniture index, Chicago finishes less than one point behind San Jose to take third place. Its average price of just $560 USD ($831.05 AUD) is the lowest in the US, making the city ideal for finding discounted furniture. Drawers are the most commonly listed item, with 1,326 options at an average price of $392 USD ($581.73 AUD).
Since 10.9% of listings in the city cost less than $20 USD, Chicago is a fantastic choice for pre-used furniture buyers looking to save money.
Continuing our tour of the Midwest, Columbus ranks fourth with an overall index score of 53.18. Although the city has the third-fewest listings per capita in our rankings (62 listings per 100k residents), its low furniture costs earn it a high spot on our index. The average listing in the city costs just $793 USD ($1,176.82 AUD), with more than 1 in 10 items costing less than $20 USD (10.9%).
The typical price of furniture in the city can range from $416 USD ($617.35 AUD) for a coffee table to $1,517 USD ($2,251 AUD) for a double bed. However, with 23.5% of double beds in the city costing under $20 USD, there are plenty of options for savvy spenders to find a discount.
We finish off our top 5 US cities for buying second-hand furniture with one last stop in the Midwest. Indianapolis’ total index score of 45.48 makes it the fifth-best location for homeowners to decorate their space with pre-owned items. The city’s average price per item seems to vary from the rest of the US, with the second-most expensive coffee tables in the country ($667 USD/$989.83 AUD), but the third-cheapest dining tables ($608 USD/$902.28 AUD).
With 63 listings per 100k residents, the Indianapolis market isn’t as active as in larger cities, but 10% of its listings are available for under $20 USD. This manages to offset its average listing price of $1,043 USD ($1,547.82 AUD) to earn a place in the top five.
The lowest-ranked UK city in our index is London, which scores a pitiful 5.64 out of 100 for its high prices. These five cities will be relieved they place much higher on our list:
If you’re looking to buy affordable second-hand furniture in the UK, Brighton and Hove is your #1 destination. The average listing in the city is available to purchase for just £115 ($230.43 AUD), and almost a quarter of items on sale cost less than £20 (24%). That means it’s the UK city with the largest share of budget listings.
Although it has the second-fewest listed items per 100k residents in the country (80.1, beaten only by Plymouth’s 79.0), its low furniture prices are perfect for aspiring home decorators. Even its sofas, which are the most expensive item by average price in the city, cost just £183 for a typical listing ($366.69 AUD). These combine to give Brighton and Hove an impressive total score of 70.05.
Glasgow is the first Scottish city to appear in our rankings, with a score of 69.64, placing it second. It has the second-most active furniture market in the country, with 466.5 listings per 100k residents (only Manchester has more, with 690.9). Plus, with average prices of £134 ($268.50 AUD) and 13.2% of listings available for under £20, it’s easy for Glaswegians to decorate their home on a budget.
Smart spenders can find massive discounts on popular items in Glasgow. For example, although the average price of a coffee table in the city is £76 ($152.29 AUD), almost a quarter of listings in the area are available for less than £20 (24.5%).
Continuing in Scotland for our bronze-medal entry, Edinburgh’s score of 65.63 out of 100 earns it a respectable third-place finish on our second-hand furniture index. With almost a quarter of sofas and armchairs costing under £20 (24%), plus 29.2% of coffee tables, finding options to suit your budget in the Scottish capital is an easy task.
Across its 240.2 listings per 100k residents, Edinburgh has an average price of £133 per furniture item ($266.50 AUD).
With 278.9 listings per 100k residents, the market for pre-loved furniture in Bristol is the fourth-largest in the UK, and with 19% of its items costing under £20, it’s not hard to see why the city is such a hotspot for buyers. A typical piece of furniture in Bristol costs £142 ($284.50 AUD), which puts it below the national average of £153 ($306.57 AUD) for pre-owned items.
Drawers are the most affordable item on the city’s second-hand market, with a typical unit costing £66 ($132.25 AUD) and 35.3% of listings costing less than £20. With an overall score of 65.28, Bristol ranks less than one point behind Edinburgh to secure fourth place.
Finally, Kingston upon Hull rounds out our top 5 UK cities for buying pre-owned furniture. With a total score of 65.15 out of 100, it continues the close competition between the highest-placed cities on our list.
Second-hand furniture in the city is the second-cheapest in the UK on average, costing just £122 ($244.46 AUD). Additionally, there are plenty of opportunities to find a great deal, as 1 in 5 listings cost less than £20. Coffee tables are exceptionally affordable, with 40.4% of listings available for less than £20, making Hull the second-cheapest city in the UK for the item (behind Plymouth).
Finally, let’s look at the Australian cities that rank the best for buying second-hand furniture online. Here are our top five:
Although the Australian capital has the second-most competitive market for second-hand furniture sales in the country (183.5 listings per 100k people), it also boasts the second-lowest average price. A typical listing in Canberra costs just $334 AUD, with only Darwin’s furniture fetching lower costs ($274 AUD).
Canberra also has the highest percentage of listings under $20 AUD, with almost 1 in 5 (19.1%) items available for a low cost. These combine to give the city a score of 90.93 out of 100 – the highest across all our lists!
Despite being the fifth-smallest city in our Australian rankings by population, Geelong boasts an impressive number of furniture listings for its size, with 159.3 items available per 100k residents. While it’s harder to find a bargain than in many of our other cities (just 6.9% of its listings cost less than $20 AUD), its average furniture price of $257 AUD is still relatively low, with drawers proving to be the cheapest item overall ($246 AUD on average).
Geelong’s overall score of 68.94 out of 100 is considerably lower than Canberra’s massive lead, but it still earns a very respectable second place.
Another small city with a big second-hand furniture market, Hobart may only have a population of 233,592, but its 184.1 listings per 100k residents means it has Australia’s most active online marketplace for pre-loved home décor.
Although only 5% of its overall items cost less than $20 AUD, it’s still possible to find a bargain in the city. For example, 12.5% of the bed listings we found were available for less than $20 AUD, making them, on average, cheaper than in larger cities like Melbourne and Perth. Hobart finishes with an index score of 65.02 out of 100.
Newcastle may only have 67 listings per 100k residents, but with an average second-hand furniture price of $355 AUD and 12% of items available for less than $20 AUD, it’s perfect for thrifty homeowners. The cheapest item to buy in the city is drawers, with an average unit costing as little as $182, though only 4% of listings for drawers and dressers cost less than $20 AUD.
Overall, Newcastle’s score of 57.04 out of 100 earns it a high-ranking place on our index for its size. Its affordability makes it a strong choice, despite its limited selection.
Sydney concludes our list with a total score of 55.23 out of 100, earning it the final spot in our top five. Although an average listing in the city costs $431 AUD, a keen buyer can easily find affordable options in any of Sydney’s 118.6 items per 100k residents.
Sofas, for example, are particularly affordable in the city. With an average price of $525 AUD, they’re the fourth cheapest in the country, with 13.2% of listings available for under $20 AUD.
Second-hand furniture can help you save money to spend on the things that matter most to you, and the pre-loved look of many items is a perfect fit for shabby chic or vintage interior designs Adrian Taylor, Executive General Manager of General Insurance at Compare the Market, says:
“As Australians look for ways to save on household costs, second-hand furniture marketplaces are becoming an increasingly popular option. This research shows that where you live can make a real difference to how affordable furnishing a home can be.
While buying pre-owned furniture helps reduce costs, it’s still important to consider protection of your belongings. Comparing home and contents insurance policies can help ensure your furniture is covered against unexpected damage, theft or disasters.
Even if it’s second-hand, it’s important to review and update your sum insured if you’ve bought new furniture.”
This dataset contains 3 rankings: one of Australian cities, another of US cities & one of UK cities, based on how good they are for buying second-hand furniture, using 3 key factors. Each factor’s data was collected and normalised to a score between 0 and 1. If data was missing, a score of 0 was given. These scores were then combined to give each city a total score out of 100, and cities were ranked from highest to lowest.
The furniture categories used are as follows:
The factors used are as follows:
The factors were indexed & weighted as follows:
All data is correct as of 19/12/25. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regard to the sources provided.
Currency data correct as of 07/01/2026 and is subject to change.