Britain’s most affordable towns revealed
Britain’s most affordable towns revealed, where homes cost less than two years worth of household earnings
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Zoopla reveals 36 British towns where a typical home is worth less than twice the combined annual earnings of two local full-time workers
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Across Great Britain, a typical home costs 4.3 times annual household earnings, compared with just 1.15 times in Shildon, Britain’s most affordable town
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Scotland accounts for 23 of the 36 towns, including Fraserburgh, Irvine and Peterhead, followed by the North East with eight, the North West with four and Wales with one
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County Durham claims Britain’s three most affordable towns, Shildon, Ferryhill and Peterlee, all with typical home values below £100,000
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Dover is the South East’s most affordable town, with homes costing 2.97 times household earnings, compared with 4.91 in London’s most affordable borough, Tower Hamlets
New research from Zoopla, one of the UK’s leading property websites, reveals the 36 British towns where a typical home is worth less than twice the combined annual earnings of two local full-time workers (household earnings).
The analysis of 929 towns across Great Britain found that a typical home is valued at £299,100, equivalent to 4.3 times annual household earnings (£69,600). However, in the country’s most affordable locations, the relationship between household earnings and house prices varies significantly, falling to just 1.15 times earnings.
Scotland accounts for almost two-thirds of the 36 towns where home values are less than twice local household earnings, followed by the North East of England, the North West and Wales. The South East is the second least affordable region in Britain, behind London, with a typical home valued at £395,700, equivalent to 5.33 times annual household earnings.
Table 1: The most affordable town in each region
|
Region |
Most affordable town |
Typical home value |
Price-to-household earnings ratio |
|
North East |
Shildon |
£73,600 |
1.15 |
|
Scotland |
Fraserburgh |
£116,000 |
1.59 |
|
North West |
Workington |
£114,900 |
1.65 |
|
Wales |
Ferndale |
£116,200 |
1.82 |
|
Yorkshire and the Humber |
Kingston upon Hull |
£131,400 |
2.16 |
|
West Midlands |
Stoke-on-Trent |
£160,700 |
2.64 |
|
East Midlands |
Ilkeston |
£192,100 |
2.70 |
|
East of England |
Great Yarmouth |
£166,300 |
2.72 |
|
South East |
Dover |
£206,300 |
2.97 |
|
South West |
Bideford |
£224,700 |
3.35 |
|
London* |
Tower Hamlets |
£455,200 |
4.91 |
Source: Zoopla 2026
Scotland and the North East dominate Britain’s most affordable towns
Scotland dominates the list of towns where a typical home is worth less than twice household earnings, accounting for 23 of the 36 locations. The North East follows with eight, the North West with four and Wales with one. At a regional level, the North East is the most affordable, with homes valued at 2.64 times local household earnings, followed by Scotland (2.74), Yorkshire and the Humber (3.28), the North West (3.49) and Wales (3.53), all below the national average of 4.3.
Table 2: Britain’s ten most affordable towns
|
Rank |
Town |
Region |
Typical home value |
Price-to- household earnings ratio |
|
1 |
Shildon |
North East |
£73,600 |
1.15 |
|
2 |
Ferryhill |
North East |
£91,500 |
1.43 |
|
3 |
Peterlee |
North East |
£96,500 |
1.51 |
|
4 |
Fraserburgh |
Scotland |
£116,000 |
1.59 |
|
5 |
Irvine |
Scotland |
£114,800 |
1.62 |
|
6 |
Peterhead |
Scotland |
£120,600 |
1.65 |
|
= |
Ardrossan |
Scotland |
£116,900 |
1.65 |
|
= |
Workington |
North West |
£114,900 |
1.65 |
|
9 |
Methil |
Scotland |
£116,400 |
1.69 |
|
= |
Saltcoats |
Scotland |
£119,600 |
1.69 |
Source: Zoopla 2026
The North East claims Britain’s three most affordable towns, all in County Durham. Shildon, a historic railway town and home to the Locomotion museum, takes the top spot, with a typical home valued at just £73,600, equivalent to 1.15 times annual household earnings (£64,000). It is followed by the former mining town of Ferryhill at £91,500 (1.43) and Peterlee, a post-war new town built to house East Durham’s mining communities, at £96,500 (1.51). These are the only three towns among the 929 analysed where typical home values fall below £100,000.
Scotland claims six of the remaining seven places in Britain’s top ten, with coastal locations featuring prominently. Fraserburgh, a historic fishing port on the Aberdeenshire coast known for its sandy beaches, leads the way, with a typical home valued at £116,000, equivalent to 1.59 times local household earnings. Fellow fishing port Peterhead also makes the top ten, alongside the Ayrshire coastal towns of Irvine, Ardrossan and Saltcoats, and Methil on the Fife coast. Typical home values across the six Scottish towns range from £114,800 to £120,600.
Elsewhere, Workington, a coastal town in west Cumbria with a history of coal mining and steelmaking, is the North West’s most affordable town, ranking eighth nationally, with a typical home value of £114,900 (1.65 times household earnings). In Wales, Ferndale, a former coal mining community in the Rhondda Fach valley, ranks 20th nationally, with a typical home value of £116,200 (1.82 times household earnings).
The most affordable towns in Southern England still cost around three times household earnings
While buyers in Scotland and the North East can find towns where a typical home is valued at less than twice annual household earnings, the affordability picture is considerably different further south.
The South East is Britain’s second least affordable region after London, with a typical home valued at £395,700, or 5.33 times household earnings. Dover, Kent’s historic port town famous for its White Cliffs and ferry connections to France, is the region’s most affordable location. Here, homes cost £206,300 (2.97 times household earnings), placing it 187th nationally.
In the South West, where homes cost 4.87 times household earnings, the historic harbour town of Bideford in North Devon takes the top spot. Situated on the River Torridge, with access to the North Devon coastline and beaches of Westward Ho!. The town has a typical home value of £224,700 (3.35 times household earnings), ranking 275th nationally.
London remains the least affordable region, with a typical home valued at £524,100, or 6.11 times household earnings. Tower Hamlets, spanning parts of London’s traditional East End and the financial district of Canary Wharf, is the capital’s most affordable borough relative to local incomes, although homes still cost £455,200 (4.91 times household earnings). Greenwich and Croydon follow, both at 5.26 times household earnings, demonstrating the considerable affordability gap between the capital and Britain’s cheapest towns.
Table 3: The three most affordable places in the Southern England
|
Region |
Rank |
Town / borough |
Typical home value |
Price-to-household earnings ratio |
|
South East |
1 |
Dover |
£206,300 |
2.97 |
|
2 |
Sheerness |
£209,300 |
3.05 |
|
|
3 |
Banbury |
£296,600 |
3.75 |
|
|
South West |
1 |
Bideford |
£224,700 |
3.35 |
|
2 |
Tiverton |
£249,400 |
3.63 |
|
|
3 |
Portland |
£240,500 |
3.73 |
|
|
East of England |
1 |
Great Yarmouth |
£166,300 |
2.72 |
|
2 |
Fenland |
£178,000 |
2.86 |
|
|
3 |
King’s Lynn and West Norfolk |
£198,000 |
3.11 |
|
|
London |
1 |
Tower Hamlets |
£455,200 |
4.91 |
|
=2 |
Greenwich |
£451,900 |
5.26 |
|
|
=2 |
Croydon |
£430,100 |
5.26 |
Source: Zoopla 2026
Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla, said: “House prices have been rising more slowly than incomes, helping to improve housing affordability, but higher mortgage rates continue to offset some of these gains by increasing the monthly cost of buying a home.
“Affordability varies widely across the country, with many towns in northern England and Scotland offering much better value relative to local household earnings. However, lower house prices don’t always mean it’s easier to buy, as access to employment, deposits and mortgage costs remain important considerations.
“Buyers have more homes to choose from than a year ago, and there is greater scope to negotiate on price, particularly in southern England. Anyone considering a move should take a fresh look at what they can afford and what’s available locally. Expanding a search to neighbouring towns could make a meaningful difference to their buying options.”
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