A baby born today needs to save £1,734 a year to get their first foot on the ladder
Research by national fast sale estate agent, Springbok Properties, has revealed the up-hill struggle facing those born today when it comes to getting onto the UK property ladder.
With the average FTB age thought to have stayed static for over a decade at 30 years old, Springbok looked at how much you would have to save every year of your life for those 30 years in order to accumulate a 10% deposit on the average FTB house price, and how this has changed since 2012.
The data shows that in 2012, the average FTB house price in the UK was £120,304, requiring £12,030 for a 10% deposit. This means that you would have had to save £401 every year since being born in 1982 to save enough for a deposit at that price in 2012.
Skip to today, and the average first-time buyer is now paying £154,238, requiring a deposit of £15,424, meaning those born in 1988 would have had to save £514 for every year of their life just to make it onto today’s ladder.
This is an increase in the yearly saving sum required of 28%, an average annual increase of 4% a year. Over the next 30 years that equates to an increase of 124% and would mean that a baby born today would have to tuck away £1,734 a year just to secure a 10% mortgage deposit of £52,493 in 2049.
This is, of course, a lot higher in some areas, with the yearly saving required for a baby born today to get onto the London ladder in 30 years coming in at an eye-watering £16,508!
In Cambridge and Bristol, this sum exceeds £9,000 at £9,975 and £9,772 respectively.
Aberdeen is the best place for a future home buyer to be born today, with a fall in house prices meaning it would actually be cheaper at £407 per year saved.
Founder and CEO of Springbok Properties, Shepherd Ncube, commented:
“We thought the task of getting on the ladder was hard in this day and age, but with house prices continuing to climb ever higher, it could be a much tougher ask for our children in the future.
£500 a year to get on to today’s ladder might not sound a lot today, but when you consider this is not only over a 30-year period but is still just a 10% deposit and not a full properties value, it really does drive home the monumental issues of affordability across the UK market.
I certainly hope for my kids’ sake, that these predictions don’t ring true and we don’t see the cost of buying spiral to these levels, however, if you would have told someone in 1988 they had to save £500 a year to get on the ladder in 30 years’ time, they probably would have laughed at you. So who knows what the future might hold?”
Table shows the average first-time buyer house price, deposit required and saving per year for 30 years to accumulate the deposit in both 2012 and 2018, how this has changed and the projected annual saving requirement for a baby born today to afford a property in 2049.
|
Location
|
2012
|
2018
|
Change
|
2049*
|
|||||
|
Average FTB house price
|
Deposit
|
Saving per year
|
Average FTB house price
|
Deposit
|
Saving per year
|
Total change in annual saving
|
Average yearly change
|
Projected saving required for 30 years
|
|
|
London
|
£264,682
|
£26,468
|
£882
|
£418,149
|
£41,815
|
£1,394
|
58.0%
|
8.3%
|
£16,508
|
|
Cambridge
|
£254,911
|
£25,491
|
£850
|
£378,196
|
£37,820
|
£1,261
|
48.4%
|
6.9%
|
£9,975
|
|
Bristol
|
£161,622
|
£16,162
|
£539
|
£254,724
|
£25,472
|
£849
|
57.6%
|
8.2%
|
£9,772
|
|
Oxford
|
£260,796
|
£26,080
|
£869
|
£364,613
|
£36,461
|
£1,215
|
39.8%
|
5.7%
|
£6,777
|
|
Portsmouth
|
£138,045
|
£13,805
|
£460
|
£196,218
|
£19,622
|
£654
|
42.1%
|
6.0%
|
£3,982
|
|
Manchester
|
£110,953
|
£11,095
|
£370
|
£161,476
|
£16,148
|
£538
|
45.5%
|
6.5%
|
£3,792
|
|
Southampton
|
£138,136
|
£13,814
|
£460
|
£189,113
|
£18,911
|
£630
|
36.9%
|
5.3%
|
£3,125
|
|
Bournemouth
|
£150,679
|
£15,068
|
£502
|
£202,143
|
£20,214
|
£674
|
34.2%
|
4.9%
|
£2,969
|
|
Leicester
|
£109,753
|
£10,975
|
£366
|
£154,469
|
£15,447
|
£515
|
40.7%
|
5.8%
|
£2,956
|
|
Birmingham
|
£116,025
|
£11,603
|
£387
|
£161,267
|
£16,127
|
£538
|
39.0%
|
5.6%
|
£2,911
|
|
Nottingham
|
£92,627
|
£9,263
|
£309
|
£130,207
|
£13,021
|
£434
|
40.6%
|
5.8%
|
£2,492
|
|
Cardiff
|
£136,464
|
£13,646
|
£455
|
£179,800
|
£17,980
|
£599
|
31.8%
|
4.5%
|
£2,346
|
|
Edinburgh
|
£163,465
|
£16,347
|
£545
|
£207,235
|
£20,724
|
£691
|
26.8%
|
3.8%
|
£2,195
|
|
Newport
|
£111,173
|
£11,117
|
£371
|
£149,488
|
£14,949
|
£498
|
34.5%
|
4.9%
|
£2,195
|
|
Leeds
|
£118,398
|
£11,840
|
£395
|
£155,153
|
£15,515
|
£517
|
31.0%
|
4.4%
|
£1,965
|
|
Sheffield
|
£109,940
|
£10,994
|
£366
|
£141,774
|
£14,177
|
£473
|
29.0%
|
4.1%
|
£1,642
|
|
Plymouth
|
£126,426
|
£12,643
|
£421
|
£155,437
|
£15,544
|
£518
|
22.9%
|
3.3%
|
£1,418
|
|
Glasgow
|
£92,890
|
£9,289
|
£310
|
£117,955
|
£11,796
|
£393
|
27.0%
|
3.9%
|
£1,287
|
|
Liverpool
|
£94,758
|
£9,476
|
£316
|
£116,090
|
£11,609
|
£387
|
22.5%
|
3.2%
|
£1,027
|
|
Swansea
|
£112,637
|
£11,264
|
£375
|
£133,159
|
£13,316
|
£444
|
18.2%
|
2.6%
|
£984
|
|
Newcastle
|
£119,489
|
£11,949
|
£398
|
£139,018
|
£13,902
|
£463
|
16.3%
|
2.3%
|
£938
|
|
Aberdeen
|
£136,849
|
£13,685
|
£456
|
£134,078
|
£13,408
|
£447
|
-2.0%
|
-0.3%
|
£407
|
|
England
|
£148,467
|
£14,847
|
£495
|
£205,733
|
£20,573
|
£686
|
38.6%
|
5.5%
|
£3,606
|
|
Wales
|
£110,772
|
£11,077
|
£369
|
£135,926
|
£13,593
|
£453
|
22.7%
|
3.2%
|
£1,203
|
|
Scotland
|
£101,673
|
£10,167
|
£339
|
£121,047
|
£12,105
|
£403
|
19.1%
|
2.7%
|
£922
|
|
United Kingdom
|
£120,304
|
£12,030
|
£401
|
£154,235
|
£15,424
|
£514
|
28.2%
|
4.0%
|
£1,750
|
|
*Projection found by applying the average yearly increase to the current saving per year cost over a 30 year period
|
|||||||||
|
Source: Land Registry House Price Index
|
|||||||||
Table shows the annual cost saving required for each of the 30 FTB years to accumulate a 10% deposit on the average FTB house price in each year. E.g. to afford a deposit in 2012 you would have had to save £401 a year for the previous 30 years.
|
Location
|
2012
|
2013
|
2014
|
2015
|
2016
|
2017
|
2018
|
|
Saving per year from birth
|
Saving per year from birth
|
Saving per year from birth
|
Saving per year from birth
|
Saving per year from birth
|
Saving per year from birth
|
Saving per year from birth
|
|
|
London
|
£882
|
£957
|
£1,126
|
£1,239
|
£1,365
|
£1,404
|
£1,394
|
|
Cambridge
|
£850
|
£926
|
£1,025
|
£1,154
|
£1,214
|
£1,252
|
£1,261
|
|
Oxford
|
£869
|
£889
|
£993
|
£1,119
|
£1,201
|
£1,230
|
£1,215
|
|
Bristol
|
£539
|
£556
|
£619
|
£677
|
£772
|
£817
|
£849
|
|
Edinburgh
|
£545
|
£540
|
£575
|
£606
|
£608
|
£634
|
£691
|
|
Bournemouth
|
£502
|
£509
|
£543
|
£583
|
£617
|
£649
|
£674
|
|
Portsmouth
|
£460
|
£472
|
£506
|
£547
|
£586
|
£630
|
£654
|
|
Southampton
|
£460
|
£460
|
£500
|
£537
|
£586
|
£617
|
£630
|
|
Cardiff
|
£455
|
£464
|
£498
|
£524
|
£554
|
£574
|
£599
|
|
Manchester
|
£370
|
£371
|
£402
|
£430
|
£468
|
£508
|
£538
|
|
Birmingham
|
£387
|
£394
|
£417
|
£438
|
£474
|
£509
|
£538
|
|
Plymouth
|
£421
|
£428
|
£452
|
£468
|
£485
|
£505
|
£518
|
|
Leeds
|
£395
|
£396
|
£421
|
£442
|
£474
|
£496
|
£517
|
|
Leicester
|
£366
|
£376
|
£395
|
£415
|
£450
|
£479
|
£515
|
|
Newport
|
£371
|
£369
|
£389
|
£400
|
£424
|
£452
|
£498
|
|
Sheffield
|
£366
|
£370
|
£395
|
£415
|
£431
|
£449
|
£473
|
|
Newcastle
|
£398
|
£399
|
£413
|
£438
|
£451
|
£455
|
£463
|
|
Aberdeen
|
£456
|
£474
|
£536
|
£540
|
£494
|
£465
|
£447
|
|
Swansea
|
£375
|
£379
|
£398
|
£399
|
£414
|
£428
|
£444
|
|
Nottingham
|
£309
|
£311
|
£340
|
£357
|
£382
|
£410
|
£434
|
|
Glasgow
|
£310
|
£307
|
£319
|
£335
|
£345
|
£367
|
£393
|
|
Liverpool
|
£316
|
£316
|
£332
|
£342
|
£351
|
£369
|
£387
|
|
England
|
£495
|
£509
|
£554
|
£591
|
£638
|
£668
|
£686
|
|
Wales
|
£369
|
£370
|
£390
|
£400
|
£417
|
£434
|
£453
|
|
Scotland
|
£339
|
£340
|
£355
|
£370
|
£375
|
£386
|
£403
|
|
United Kingdom
|
£401
|
£406
|
£433
|
£454
|
£476
|
£496
|
£514
|
|
Source: Land Registry House Price Index
|
|||||||
You May Also Enjoy
Web Design for Estate Agencies: First Impressions Count
Construction Sector Recovery Slows Pace, Yet Remains Steady
Small Landlords Quitting in Droves as Rental Reforms Loom
Safety Expert Reveals Unexpected Warning Signs of a Rodent Infestation – and How to Keep Them Out
Housing Insight Report – June 2025
