The cost of buying new in London and the commuter belt – head to Reading for the best new build affordability

October 4, 2019

The new home specialists, Stone Real Estate, have looked at the cost of buying a new build home and how this differs across inner and outer London, and out into the London commuter belt.

Using data from the Land Registry, Stone Real Estate looked at the average new build house price across each borough in inner London, each borough of outer London, the commuter belt and how this differed, as well as the most affordable spot across each.

The data shows that the average cost of a new home in inner London is £568,803, however, there are pockets of relative affordability and Lewisham (£396,139), Tower Hamlets (£446,707), Newham (£481,911), Southwark (£495,554), Haringey (£500,748) and Lambeth (£531,189) all offer below-average new home house prices.

Inner London’s higher price tag is the reason that many homebuyers look from the inside out when buying in the capital and opting for London’s outer boroughs will see you save -25.4% on a new home compared to the average cost in inner London.

Again, a total of nine boroughs are home to an average new build cost offering better value with Bexley the best of the lot at just £331,654.

However, looking to London’s commuter belt provides an even more budget-friendly new build buy with the average cost of new homes surrounding London currently £373,967. This is a further 11.9% more affordable than the cost of buying new in outer London, with buying new in London as a whole costing 29% more than the commuter belt.

Reading has become a major commuter town but despite this growing demand, the average new build home still costs just £273,838. Rushmoor and Crawley also offer the chance of buying a new property within reaching distance of London for under £300k at £295,896 and £298,559 respectively.

Founder and CEO of Stone Real Estate, Michael Stone, commented:

“It’s no secret that London’s commuter belt offers a more affordable foot on the ladder but a mass exodus of London home buyers over recent years has seen the cost of buying in the commuter belt increase notably.

Despite this, there remains a number of areas that not only offer good value but do so with the additional benefit of buying a brand new home in the process.

This is one of the benefits the new homes sector brings in that developments deliver a range of properties from one to three-beds at all price points.

As a result, buyers at all stages are catered for and whether you’re buying new in central London, the capital’s peripherals or the commuter belt, you’ll find a diversity of stock at varying prices.”

Zone 1
Inner London
Location
New Build – average price 2019
Difference to Inner London average
Lewisham
£396,139
-30.4%
Tower Hamlets
£446,707
-21.5%
Newham
£481,911
-15.3%
Southwark
£495,554
-12.9%
Haringey
£500,748
-12.0%
Lambeth
£531,189
-6.6%
Wandsworth
£582,884
2.5%
Islington
£589,528
3.6%
Hackney
£593,358
4.3%
Hammersmith and Fulham
£664,969
16.9%
Camden
£837,504
47.2%
City of London
£928,713
63.3%
Westminster
£1,050,443
84.7%
Kensington and Chelsea
£1,109,745
95.1%
Inner London average
£568,803
London
£482,640
-18%
United Kingdom
£283,860
-100%
Zone 2
Outer London
Location
New Build – average price 2019
Difference to Outer London average
Bexley
£331,654
-21.9%
Croydon
£351,726
-17.1%
Hounslow
£369,048
-13.1%
Enfield
£377,060
-11.2%
Barking and Dagenham
£387,088
-8.8%
Havering
£396,726
-6.5%
Sutton
£397,522
-6.4%
Greenwich
£402,479
-5.2%
Harrow
£405,492
-4.5%
Hillingdon
£442,954
4.3%
Bromley
£454,552
7.1%
Brent
£464,005
9.3%
Waltham Forest
£467,622
10.2%
Ealing
£471,062
11.0%
Kingston upon Thames
£505,458
19.1%
Barnet
£526,739
24.1%
Redbridge
£542,799
27.9%
Richmond upon Thames
£547,270
28.9%
Merton
£592,617
39.6%
Outer London average
£424,504
-25.4%
Difference to Inner London average
-25.4%
London
£482,640
-12%
United Kingdom
£283,860
50%
Zone 3
London Commuter Belt
Location
New Build – average price 2019
Difference to Commuter Belt average
Reading
£273,838
-26.8%
Rushmoor
£295,896
-20.9%
Crawley
£298,559
-20.2%
Luton
£318,161
-14.9%
Southend
£319,298
-14.6%
Slough
£333,010
-11.0%
Braintree
£349,830
-6.5%
Tunbridge Wells
£352,528
-5.7%
Maidstone
£356,751
-4.6%
Watford
£356,928
-4.6%
Chelmsford
£362,365
-3.1%
Stevenage
£382,714
2.3%
Brentwood
£389,960
4.3%
Wycombe
£425,183
13.7%
Bracknell
£433,528
15.9%
Harlow
£544,241
45.5%
Guildford
£564,652
51.0%
Commuter Belt average
£373,967
-11.9%
Difference to Outer London average
-11.9%
London
£482,640
-23%
United Kingdom
£283,860
32%

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