Data has revealed the most affordable places to live in the UK
| Scotland’s Cumnock and England’s Shildon are the UK’s most affordable towns for buyers in 2024 | In the UK, the average house value is 3.79 times the average national household income | Croydon is the most affordable area for homeowners within London’s typically expensive property market |
The most budget-friendly towns for buyers are in Scotland and North East England, with Cumnock in East Ayrshire coming out on top in 2024. Meanwhile, the most affordable town in England is Shildon in County Durham. When it comes to the notoriously expensive capital, Croydon is the most accessible area for homeowners.
In the UK, the average house value is 3.79 times the average national household income. But in Cumnock, homes are just over 1x the average income. By comparison, properties in Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire are 12.43 times household earnings.
Promisingly, affordability in Southern England has improved over the last year, with the value-to-earnings ratio improving by nearly 5% in the South West, South East and East of England. There is still a long way to go though as 80% of towns in these locations have homes that are 4x more expensive than the average income.
1Zoopla, 2024
It is important to take professional advice before making any decision relating to your personal finances. Information within this article is based on our current understanding and can be subject to change without notice and the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed. It does not provide individual tailored investment advice and is for guidance only. Some rules may vary in different parts of the UK.