Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire ranks as the most expensive place relative to earnings in Britain, as house prices are more than 15 times local earnings, new analysis by Zoopla has found.
At £1.11 million, the median price of a house in the town is 15.25 times average household income.
By contrast, Shildon in County Durham has been named the most affordable place in Great Britain to buy a home, according to the property portal.
The portal found that a typical two-earner household now needs 4.4 times their combined annual income to purchase a home, slightly down from 4.5 times in 2024.
But the national picture varies sharply, with Scotland and the North East dominating the list of most affordable markets.
Seven of the ten most affordable towns are located in Scotland, while the remaining three are in the North East.
Shildon tops the list with an average home costing £73,900 — just over one year’s combined income for two average earners in the area.
Eight of the ten least affordable towns are in the South East of England.
Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire ranks as the most expensive place relative to earnings.
The median price of a house in the town is more than 15 times the estimated average household income at £1.11m.
Gerrards Cross and Esher also feature near the bottom of the affordability table.
Zoopla says buyers are paying a premium for countryside locations within commuting distance of London, where price-to-earnings ratios now exceed even the most expensive boroughs of the capital.
Even the most affordable towns in the South East and South West — Dover and Cinderford — require buyers to spend more than three and a half times their combined annual salary to purchase a median-priced home.
Zoopla says this underlines the ongoing challenge for single earners trying to access homeownership in southern England.
The analysis also highlights the wide spread of affordability within London. Tower Hamlets is currently the most affordable borough, with a ratio of 4.97, supported by above-average local incomes and a large supply of flats.
However, the borough is still around four times less affordable than locations such as Shildon.
Most of London’s more affordable boroughs are in outer London, although Southwark, Lambeth and Tower Hamlets stand apart as inner-London exceptions where higher wages help offset relatively high property prices.
Zoopla executive director Richard Donnell says: “Our latest Affordable Towns research clearly highlights the wide gulf in the affordability of housing for home buyers across the UK and within regions.
“To have the most affordable town, Shildon in the North East, requiring barely more than one year’s local pay, contrasted against Beaconsfield where the cost is over 15 times average earnings, shows the challenges facing those looking to move home.
“Homes are most affordable across Scotland and the North East, but within these regions are pockets where affordability is a challenge.
“For those looking to buy in the South, there are areas which offer reasonably priced homes compared to local incomes, but there are large areas where homes are only affordable to those on higher incomes or with larger deposits.
“The affordability of home ownership and the cost of moving are big considerations for those planning their next move.
“The days of most people moving within five miles of where they live are over.
“We can see that a growing number of buyers are having to look further afield to find better value for money and they need the tools to make informed buying decisions.”
Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by finopulse.
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