The property cost of daylight – Belfast, Aberdeen and Liverpool are the UK’s unlikely daylight property hotspots

October 25, 2019

This weekend the clocks go back and while we all look forward to an extra hour in bed, the dark mornings and even darker evenings aren’t a particular fan favourite.

While resistance is futile, national fast sale estate agent, Springbok Properties, has looked at where across the UK is home to the longest average daylength (hours of daylight), and how much you can get onto the property ladder for with a greater chance of more daylight in your life.

Across the UK, we enjoy an average of 4,486 hours of daylight every year, that’s an even split of 12 hours a day. With the average cost of property currently £230,118, that’s £51 in property prices for each hour of daylight.

While the amount of daylight doesn’t differ drastically by location, the difference between the most daylight (Belfast) and the least (London) is a notable 12 hours per year which can make all the difference.

With an average house price of £129,191, Belfast is home to the best mix of longer days and bricks and mortar affordability, resulting in a property price cost of £29 for every hour of daylight per year.

Belfast is closely followed by Glasgow (£29), Liverpool (£30), Nottingham (£32) and Swansea (£33) where the cost of property for every hour of daylight per year is at its lowest.

Aberdeen is also home to a property price of (£33) for every hour of daylight, but with 4,495 days of daylight per year, it’s the best bet for reducing the darker winter evenings.

London is predictably the most depressing location in the list, with property prices averaging £469,639 and one of the lowest average hours of daylight (4,471), you’re forking out £105 in property costs for every hour of daylight each year.

Founder and CEO of Springbok Properties, Shepherd Ncube, commented:

“There’s no doubt that the shorter days and longer nights can have a detrimental impact on your mood and so opting for one of our daylight property hotspots could not only improve this, but they are also far more affordable than some areas of the UK property market.

Perhaps the new trend in the UK market won’t be those looking to invest in a getaway for the summer months, but in a property for the winter in order to make the most of the limited daylight available.”

Ranking – by lowest cost per daylight hour
Location
Average daylength hours per year
Average house price (2019)
£ cost per daylength hour
Belfast
4483
£129,191
£28.82
Glasgow
4489
£132,096
£29.43
Liverpool
4477
£133,305
£29.78
Nottingham
4477
£142,903
£31.92
Swansea
4471
£147,904
£33.08
Aberdeen
4495
£149,774
£33.32
Newcastle
4483
£157,272
£35.08
Sheffield
4477
£165,368
£36.94
Inverness
4495
£166,802
£37.11
Leicester
4477
£173,164
£38.68
Plymouth
4471
£177,231
£39.64
Manchester
4477
£178,749
£39.93
Newport
4471
£183,277
£40.99
Leeds
4483
£183,959
£41.03
Birmingham
4477
£187,816
£41.95
Southampton
4471
£208,564
£46.65
Cardiff
4471
£208,820
£46.71
Portsmouth
4471
£211,239
£47.25
Bournemouth
4471
£252,109
£56.39
Edinburgh
4489
£263,224
£58.64
Bristol
4471
£277,178
£62.00
Oxford
4471
£404,837
£90.55
Cambridge
4477
£433,584
£96.85
London
4471
£469,639
£105.04
United Kingdom
4486
£230,118
£51

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