Families can get on the housing ladder for as little as £325 a month with towns in the North East dominating the UK’s most affordable locations latest analysis from Zoopla shows.
The property portal found Shildon in County Durham is the cheapest town for families buying a three-bed home, with an average price of £82,500 and typical mortgage repayments of around £325 a month on an 80% loan-to-value deal.
Peterlee and Ferryhill, also in the North East, ranked second and third, meaning the three most affordable towns in Britain are all in the same region.
Zoopla’s ranking looked at 300 popular towns for families buying three-bed homes, measuring affordability using the value-to-earnings ratio based on two full-time salaries.
IN THE TOP 10
Towns in the North East, Scotland and Wales dominate the top 10, with Ferndale in South Wales and Cumnock in East Ayrshire among the cheapest places to buy.
The figures like may other published today by Property Soup again highlight a sharp north-south divide. In the South East, the most affordable town is Dover, but buyers still face repayments of around £1,100 a month.
In the East of England, Lowestoft is the cheapest, while Cinderford tops the list in the South West, both with far higher costs than northern towns.
Zoopla says that the data comes as the housing market moves into the busy spring period, with buyers continuing to push ahead despite economic uncertainty linked to global events.
AFFORDABILITY GAP
Richard Donnell (main picture, inset), Executive Director at Zoopla, says: “The housing market is entering one of its busiest periods, with the most homes for sale in many years and at a time when buyers are becoming increasingly focused on value for money.
“What stands out is the scale of the affordability gap across the UK. In parts of the North East, families can buy a home for much less than the cost of buying in the most affordable towns in southern England.”
AFFORDABILITY TRADE-OFF
And he adds: “While there are affordable options in every region, buyers often face a trade-off between lower house prices and their proximity to major employment centres.
“Many of the most affordable towns in southern England are coastal meaning better affordability may come at the cost of more expensive travel which may not work for everyone.
“The tools are out there to help buyers make better informed decisions and understand the trade offs to make a successful move in 2026.”
