The appeal of moving overseas is greatly increased for Britons in times when the economy is struggling and the costs of living are high, a property expert has suggested.

High day-to-day expenses are encouraging UK residents to look at foreign properties in order to get the most out of their money, according to BuyAssociation.

While property purchase abroad has risen steadily in the last 20 years, the last five have seen a steeper increase in the number of Britons looking for low-cost property in Spain, France and even emerging markets.

Paul Collins, property editor at BuyAssociation, said: "When times get tough in the UK, if they were thinking about moving overseas it makes their mind up for them."

A recent study by Datamonitor concluded that 3.81 million Britons already own properties abroad and predicted that the expatriate market is likely to double in value by 2012.