Belfast: the market in figures
Belfast shows what steady growth looks like. The average has risen every single year since 2016, from £111,957 to £184,768, a total of 65%, or £72,811. The yearly steps run from 3.2% up to 9.7% in 2021, with 8.9% in 2022 and a pause of just 1.4% in 2023. The last three readings are 6.9%, 6.3% and 3.9%. In the latest twelve months the price rose 7.7%, though Northern Ireland as a whole rose 9.2%.
Belfast is 8.8% below the Northern Ireland average of £202,487 and 32.3% below the UK figure of £273,037. It ranks 119th among the 135 areas covered. This page has no split by property type and no first-time buyer average for Belfast, since the data does not provide them. At the two ends of the covered list are Kensington and Chelsea, the highest, and City of Aberdeen, the lowest, and Belfast stands in 119th place between them, nearer the lower end.
Northern Ireland follows the Stamp Duty system. Stamp Duty on a move comes to £1,195 at the average price (0.6% of the price), and a first-time buyer pays £0. An additional property costs £10,434. There is no Land Registry fee to add, as another registry handles titles. Sales numbered 4,726 in the June 2025 to May 2026 window.
The listed neighbours are across the water in Scotland and England, which allows a cross-border comparison of tax. South Ayrshire, at £173,126, is 6.3% under Belfast, and East Ayrshire, at £138,206, is 25.2% under. South Lanarkshire is 0.8% over at £186,196, while City of Glasgow is 5.2% over at £194,382. For a purchase at Belfast's own average price, Scotland's LBTT would come to £795 for someone moving home. Cumberland, in the North West of England, is 6.6% cheaper at £172,654, and its Stamp Duty on the same price would again be £1,195. Centres sit 104 km to 179 km out.
Payotte, from the UK HPI and the calculator.
Property professionals in Belfast
One firm per trade, selected by Payotte on public data (4 of 5 trades filled in Belfast). Companies, never individuals, with a regulator or register you can check with the official body.
| Trade | Firm | Google rating | Reviews | Score /100 | Status | Listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estate agent | Vacant | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mortgage adviser | The Mortgage Shop | 4.9 | 181 | 84 | Selected | View |
| Conveyancer | McKenna & Co. Solicitors | 4.5 | 26 | 66 | Partial | View |
| Surveyor | NI Surveys | 4.9 | 65 | 60 | Partial | View |
| Valuer | NI Surveys | 4.9 | 65 | 60 | Partial | View |
One firm per trade and per area, chosen on public data and scored out of 100 points — Google reviews (35), age of the company (30), checkable regulator or register (15), local anchoring (15), bonus (5). The ranking is never paid for. No firm can buy its place or its recommendation. How Payotte ranks firms
Calculate for Belfast
Frequently asked questions
What is the average house price in Belfast?
The average price of a home in Belfast was £184,768 in August 2026, +7.7% over twelve months (UK House Price Index).
Have house prices gone up in Belfast?
The average price in Belfast went from £111,957 in August 2016 to £184,768 in August 2026, a change of +65%; +7.7% over the last twelve months (UK House Price Index).
How much Stamp Duty Land Tax on an average-priced home in Belfast?
On £184,768, Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) comes to £1,195 for a home mover, £0 for a first-time buyer and £10,434 for an additional property, at the rates in force in Northern Ireland.
How much tax when you sell a home in Belfast?
None on your main home if it was your only home, lived in for all the time you owned it, not let out and not used exclusively for business (Private Residence Relief). A second home or a buy-to-let pays Capital Gains Tax above the £3,000 allowance (2026 to 2027; rates in the calculator above). Bought at the average price in Belfast in August 2016 (£111,957) and sold at the August 2026 average (£184,768), the gain of £72,811 costs a higher rate taxpayer £16,755, before deducting the costs of buying, selling and improving. The tax is reported and paid within 60 days of completion (HMRC).
Is Belfast expensive?
Belfast ranks 119th of the 135 areas Payotte covers for the average price in August 2026, from £1,204,072 in Kensington and Chelsea to £133,782 in City of Aberdeen.
Prices by property type, August 2026
| Type | Average price | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | — | £312,624 |
| Semi-detached | — | £204,283 |
| Terraced | — | £145,980 |
| Flat or maisonette | — | £148,475 |
| All types | £184,768 | £202,487 |
The UK HPI is a mix-adjusted average (a hedonic model), not the price of the homes sold in the month. Northern Ireland figures are quarterly.
The trend, August of each year
| Year | Average price | Change on the year before |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | £111,957 | — |
| 2017 | £115,554 | +3.2% |
| 2018 | £121,513 | +5.2% |
| 2019 | £126,056 | +3.7% |
| 2020 | £129,244 | +2.5% |
| 2021 | £141,823 | +9.7% |
| 2022 | £154,405 | +8.9% |
| 2023 | £156,540 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | £167,277 | +6.9% |
| 2025 | £177,759 | +6.3% |
| 2026 | £184,768 | +3.9% |
Sources
- Prices and sales: UK House Price Index, file UK-HPI-full-file-2026-08.csv. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2020. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Purchase tax: rates and sources of the calculator (HMRC).
- Tax when you sell: Capital Gains Tax rates, Tax when you sell your home and Report and pay your Capital Gains Tax (GOV.UK, HMRC).