Map shows how much you need to earn to buy a home where you live in the UK

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Buying your own home is a big step. But, depending on where you live in the UK, you might have it easier financially.

We all know that London is by far the most expensive place to purchase a property. For example, if you want to own a home in the Kensington and Chelsea area, you’ll have to beg your boss to up your annual salary to £214,750.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. If you’re based outside of London, or you’re willing to up sticks and move to a cheaper part of the UK, it’s likely you’ll be able to snap up a pretty good deal.

Property type will also play a big part: a flat vs a detached house will obviously decrease or increase the price.

GoCompare recently carried out some research looking at where you can get the best bang for your buck. They found the salaries you need to buy a home in different towns and cities across the UK, plus the average price of a property in each area. This includes flats, terraced houses, semis and detached.

And to make things easier, they listed the most expensive and most affordable regions.

House prices were taken from the UK House Price Index in June 2024. The monthly repayments were calculated based on a 90% mortgage with a 5.5% interest rate over 25 years. Average salaries were calculated assuming that monthly mortgage repayments take up one-third of take-home income.

What is the average UK wage?

The average UK wage is £37,430, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

You’ll notice that salaries in some areas are a lot less than the average. In contrast, others are astronomically higher.

In other words, if you earn the average wage in lesser affluent parts of the country, purchasing a home won’t be as much of a financial strain.

The 5 most affordable areas

Burnley in Lancashire came out as the most affordable area in the UK for each kind of property.

You’ll need to earn £14,426 a year for a flat (costing £72,510 on average), £18,940 for a terraced house (£95,196 on average), £27,214 for a semi (£136,780 on average) and £42,262 for a detached house (£212,414 on average).

However, with the ONS revealing that semi-detached houses are the most popular type of dwelling for UK residents, we’ll focus on them for the rest of this article.

The second most affordable location was Middlesbrough. In this North Yorkshire town, you’ll need an average salary of £28,549 to afford a £143,492 semi.

In third place is Stoke-on-Trent. Here, a semi-detached costs £146,084, meaning you’ll need to earn £29,065.

At number four is Sunderland, a city 10 miles south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. A salary of £29,366 is required to own a £147,597 house.

Finally, the fifth most affordable area is Blackpool, where a £30,560 salary is expected for a £153,596 house.

The 5 most expensive areas

Of course, London takes the top spot for each property type.

You’ll need to earn £86,513 a year for a flat (costing £434,818 on average), £113,764 for a terraced house (£571,783 on average), £135,326 for a semi (£680,157 on average) and £205,405 for a detached house (£1,032,371 on average).

When it comes to semis, Oxford gets the second place. Home to the prestigious university, the average house price here is £600,304, along with a salary of £119,439.

Following just behind is Cambridge, the other major uni. Here, your wage should be £119,439 to afford a £591,569 property.

Over the past few years, Brighton has been creeping up in price. According to GoCompare, the seaside Sussex city – which was recently voted the UK’s most ‘walkable’ city – has an average house price of £522,764. The required wage is £104,011.

Finally, from the bottom of the UK all the way to the top, Edinburgh in Scotland came in at number five. For £91,976 a year, you’ll be able to afford a £462,275 semi.

Happy house hunting!