28 May 2025
The salary required to be able to buy a home per area
Buying a house is a big deal, and where you are planning to buy will make a difference financially.
Of course, London is one of the priciest areas to buy a property. You’ll be required to earn £86,513 for a flat compared to £14,426 for the equivalent property in Burnley, or £205,405 for a detached home versus £42,996 for the same property in Middlesborough which is quite a contrast.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average UK wage is £37,430, and the type of property makes a big difference in the price, for example; a detached house compared to a flat is going to be more expensive.
Most affordable areas in the UK*
Research from GoCompare shows the salaries you need to purchase a house and the average price in different areas across the UK. Below are the top five affordable areas:
| Salary Required | Flat | Terraced | Semi | Detached |
| Burnley | £14,426 | £18,940 | £27,214 | £42,262 |
| Middlesborough | £15,751 | £20,458 | £28,549 | £42,996 |
| Blackpool | £15,859 | £22,923 | £29,065 | £43,702 |
| Sunderland | £17,097 | £22,964 | £29,366 | £48,800 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | £18,268 | £23,160 | £30,560 | £51,243 |
| Average Price | Flat | Terraced | Semi | Detached |
| Burnley | £72,150 | £95,196 | £136,780 | £212,414 |
| Middlesborough | £79,166 | £102,825 | £143,492 | £216,101 |
| Blackpool | £79,708 | £115,213 | £146,084 | £219,652 |
| Sunderland | £85,933 | £115,420 | £147,597 | £245,274 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | £91,816 | £116,405 | £153,596 | £257,553 |
Most expensive areas in the UK*
These are the salaries you need to purchase a house, and the average price in different areas across the UK. Below are the top five most expensive areas:
| Salary Required | Flat | Terraced | Semi | Detached |
| London | £86,513 | £113,764 | £135,326 | £205,405 |
| Cambridge | £66,650 | £100,023 | £119,439 | £193,519 |
| Oxford | £61,982 | £94,256 | £117,701 | £189,489 |
| Brighton | £58,464 | £93,227 | £104,011 | £157,673 |
| Edinburgh | £52,136 | £73,962 | £91,976 | £145,882 |
| Average Price | Flat | Terraced | Semi | Detached |
| London | £435,818 | £571,783 | £680,157 | £1,032,371 |
| Cambridge | £334,988 | £502,721 | £600,304 | £972,634 |
| Oxford | £311,527 | £473,734 | £591,569 | £952,380 |
| Brighton | £293,845 | £468,564 | £522,764 | £792,472 |
| Edinburgh | £262,037 | £371,735 | £462,275 | £733,211 |
Remember, wherever you are looking to buy, the team at Mortgage Required are experts at finding the best product available. Give them a call on 01628 507477 or email team@mortgagerequired.com.
*House prices were taken from HM Land Registry UK House Price Index: June 2024. Repayments were calculated based on a 90% mortgage with 5.5% interest rate over 25 years.
Recent posts
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has announced a new measure to protect leaseholders in England and Wales from high fees and poorly regulated property management companies.
Saturday 26th September, Andy Burnham announced a new equity loan scheme called “Your First Home”. The scheme, which will be confirmed at next month’s budget, is aimed at first-time buyers looking to purchase a new-build property from a developer signed up to the scheme.
Losing your job or finding yourself ‘between jobs’ is, unsurprisingly, a stressful place to be. Keeping a cool head and taking action is important.
Best UK Mortgage Rates this Week
8 days ago
Here are the lowest fixed mortgage rates of the week, available to first-time buyers, home movers, buy-to-let, and those remortgaging.
Call us for more information: 01628 507477 or email: team@mortgagerequired.com.
Flats 40% cheaper to buy than houses
13 days ago
This price gap between the cost of houses and flats is the biggest it has ever been. Houses are now costing 1.7 times more than a flat, which is 0.4 times higher than 10 years ago
Take a look at our list of houses vs. flats per area.
Are mortgage rates set to increase?
22 days ago
We have seen several lenders increase their mortgage rates over the last couple of weeks. This suggests mortgage rates are likely to rise.
Although nothing is set in stone, lender repricing, rising swap rates, and continued economic uncertainty suggest borrowers should prepare for higher mortgage costs.
AI-altered images put off over half of buyers
24 Aug 2026
According to data from House Buyer Bureau, where over 900 UK homebuyers were surveyed, 54% of people said that they immediately ruled out digitally enhanced property listings.
April Mortgages offer 7x Income Mortgage
13 Aug 2026
April Mortgages - only accessed via a mortgage broker - offers first-time buyers, renters, and home-movers the option to borrow up to 7 times their income on its longer-term mortgages.
More information
Trusted by
