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We’ve analysed the latest average house price data across the UK to help you find the cheapest place to buy a house.
KEY INFORMATION
It’s harder than ever for first time buyers in today’s housing market: ever increasing rents mean its harder to save a deposit to buy ever more expensive houses. No one wants to spend over the odds and one obvious way to make buying your first home more affordable is to buy in a cheaper area.
Here are the cheapest places to buy in the UK overall and we also highlight the cheapest areas is England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
To stay up to date with house prices across the UK, see our monthly House Price Watch.
| Position | Local Authority | Average house price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burnley | £117,636 |
| 2 | East Ayrshire | £130,256 |
| 3 | Hyndburn | £131,159 |
| 4 | North Ayrshire | £133,108 |
| 5 | Inverclyde | £133,716 |
| 6 | City of Aberdeen | £137,686 |
| 7 | County Durham | £138,587 |
| 8 | Hartlepool | £138,696 |
| 9 | Blackpool | £139,085 |
| 10 | Blaenau Gwent | £140,633 |
Northern England and Scotland dominate the list of the top 10 cheapest places to buy a house in the UK.
| Position | Local Authority | Average house price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burnley | £117,636 |
| 2 | Hyndburn | £131,159 |
| 3 | County Durham | £138,587 |
| 4 | Hartlepool | £138,696 |
| 5 | Blackpool | £139,085 |
| 6 | Pendle | £142,414 |
| 7 | Middlesbrough | £143,536 |
| 8 | City of Kingston upon Hull | £144,918 |
| 9 | Stoke-on-Trent | £148,396 |
| 10 | Sunderland | £149,590 |
In England, the North East and the North West took most of the top spots for the cheapest places to buy.
After Burnley and Hyndburn, the cheapest place where you can buy a house is County Durham, with an average house price of £138,587. This was a 7.4% increase on the average house price in November 2023 which was £129,040.
These average house prices are much lower than the average for England which is £306,494, according to Land Registry figures for November 2024.
Get fee free mortgage advice from our partners at L&C. Use the online mortgage finder or speak to an advisor today.
| Position | Local Authority | Average house price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kensington and Chelsea | £1,070,283 |
| 2 | City of Westminster | £865,858 |
| 3 | Camden | £815,772 |
| 4 | Richmond upon Thames | £744,732 |
| 5 | Hammersmith and Fulham | £711,657 |
It’s little surprise that all the top 5 most expensive areas to buy a house are in London. If you’re house-hunting, Kensington and Chelsea is the most expensive place to buy a house, according to the average house price paid in the local authority of £1,070,283. However, this was a 20.6% drop on the average house price in the area in November 2023 which was £1,347,803.
Find out how much your house is worth with our online tool.
| Position | Local Authority | Average house price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Ayrshire | £130,256 |
| 2 | North Ayrshire | £133,108 |
| 3 | Inverclyde | £133,716 |
| 4 | City of Aberdeen | £137,686 |
| 5 | West Dunbartonshire | £141,601 |
| 6 | North Lanarkshire | £145,450 |
| 7 | City of Dundee | £146,301 |
| 8 | Na h-Eileanan Siar | £151,364 |
| 9 | Dumfries and Galloway | £165,737 |
| 10 | Falkirk | £169,719 |
If you’re looking for the most affordable housing in Scotland, head to East Ayrshire, which has average house prices of £130,256. This marks a 5.7% year on year increase in house prices.
While the second cheapest local authority area in Scotland in which to buy a house is North Ayrshire, with average house prices of £133,108. This is 1.4% increase compared to November 2023 when the average house price in the area was £131,291.
The next cheapest place is Inverclyde, where average house prices are £133,716; this is a 6.4% increase on average house prices in November 2023 when the average cost was £125,656.
The average house price in Scotland is £195,036, according to Land Registry figures.
| Position | Local Authority | Average house price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Edinburgh | £333,771 |
| 2 | East Lothian | £309,698 |
| 3 | East Renfrewshire | £306,595 |
Unsurprisingly, the Scottish capital Edinburgh is the most expensive area to buy a house north of the border. Average house prices in the city of Edinburgh are £333,771, according to Land Registry figures. This is an increase of 4.9% compared to the average house price in the city in November 2023 when it was £318,037.
| Position | Local Authority | Average house price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blaenau Gwent | £140,633 |
| 2 | Merthyr Tydfil | £142,333 |
| 3 | Rhondda Cynon Taf | £162,865 |
| 4 | Neath Port Talbot | £169,686 |
| 5 | Torfaen | £192,398 |
Looking for the cheapest place to buy a house in Wales? According to official figures, this is the local authority area of Blaenau Gwent, in south Wales. Official figures show the average house price is £140,633, an 8.9% year-on-year increase.
The next most affordable housing is in the local authority area of Merthyr Tydfil, also in south Wales, where average house prices are £142,333. This is a decrease of 2.5% compared to November 2023 when the average house price was £145,962.
The average house price in Wales is £219,446, according to Land Registry figures.
| Position | Local Authority | Average house price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monmouthshire | £346,479 |
| 2 | Vale of Glamorgan | £292,490 |
| 3 | Cardiff | £272,692 |
The most expensive place to buy a house in Wales is Monmouthshire. The average house price in the local authority area is £346,479. This is a 1.6% increase compared to November 2023’s figures that showed the average house price was £340,938.
Get fee free mortgage advice from our partners at L&C. Use the online mortgage finder or speak to an advisor today.
| Position | Local government district | Average house price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon | £169,407 |
| 2 | Derry City and Strabane | £169,866 |
| 3 | Mid & east Antrim | £174,048 |
| 4 | Fermanagh and Omagh | £174,113 |
| 5 | Belfast | £177,366 |
The cheapest local government district to buy a house in Northern Ireland is Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon, where the average house price in Q3 2024 was £169,407. This compares to an average price of £162,306 in Q3 2023. While the second most budget-friendly area to buy in Northern Ireland was Derry City and Strabane with an average house price of £169,866. This is an increase compared to Q3 2023, when the average house price in the area was £163,145.
| Position | Local government district | Average house price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisburn & Castlereag | £222,496 |
| 2 | Ards and North Downs | £215,948 |
| 3 | Causeway coast & Glens | £212,379 |
The most expensive area in Northern Ireland to buy a house is Lisburn & Castlereag, with an average house price of £222,496. By comparison, in Q3 2023, the average house price in the area was £208,366.
KEY INFORMATION
Here are the cheapest cities to buy a house in the UK, according to Hometrack’s UK House Price Index All 65 cities snapshot – December 2024
| Position | City | Average house price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hull | £114,500 |
| 2 | Sunderland | £123,200 |
| 3 | Dundee | £133,300 |
| 4 | Burnley | £133,400 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | £135,700 |
| 6 | Grimsby | £137,000 |
| 7 | Aberdeen | £137,100 |
| 8 | Blackburn | £143,200 |
| 9 | Stoke | £150,100 |
| 10 | Glasgow | £153,100 |
Cities in Northern England and Scotland took almost all the places in the top 10 cheapest cities to buy a house in the UK. Hull was top with an average house price of £114,500, followed by Sunderland at £123,200, and Dundee at £133,330.
Now could be considered a good time to buy a house as many experts predict a slightly rising housing market in 2025 with potential for negotiation, coupled with potentially lower mortgage rates compared to recent highs. However, the best time to buy will depend on your circumstances and local market conditions.
Deciding where to live can be an extremely difficult decision to make. While this list of the cheapest areas to buy is interesting, these locations might not be right for you.
When you’re deciding where to live, as well as the cost of property, you’ll also need to take into account things like employment opportunities and you may want to factor in distance from family. Find more information in our guide How to decide where to live.
Mortgage calculators are a good place to start to see how much you can afford to borrow. Our affordability calculator looks at how much you are likely to be able to borrow and afford based on your income. This mortgage cost calculator will also give you an idea of what your monthly mortgage costs are likely to be.
Once you have a rough idea, you can go one step further and see what mortgage deals would be available to you now. You can do this online or over the phone with free-free mortgage brokers L&C.
When you’re buying a house it’s possible to save money on some of the costs, including:
Find more information in our guide on the Costs of buying a house.
At HomeOwners Alliance, we analysed official government HM Land Registry Data in England, Scotland and Wales by local authority area. Given the delay in processing and registering sold prices, the latest data available is from November 2024. We also used the Department of Finance’s Northern Ireland House Price Index Q3 2024.
House price data provided by HM Land Registry is based on the prices properties have sold for.
The cost of property is one factor in how affordable a city is but there are other important factors including how much you can earn if you live there.
There are lots of factors to weigh up when deciding where to live. Choosing an area you can afford is important but depending on your lifestyle you may also need to prioritise good transport links and how good the schools are. Find our more in our guide How to decide where to live.
