Nation

Buying a home in England: prices and purchase tax

A home in England cost £293,525 on average in August 2026 (+0.4% over twelve months); at that price, a home mover pays £4,676 of Stamp Duty Land Tax.

Data as of August 2026: average prices of the UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land & Property Services and ONS), all property types. 698,434 sales over the latest twelve months with complete volumes.

England: the market in figures

England sits 7.5% above the UK figure of £273,037, yet its pace is the slowest among the nations: 0.4% over the latest year, against 2.9% in Scotland, 3.1% in Wales and 9.2% in Northern Ireland. Those three have lower averages than England's £293,525, namely £198,397, £216,363 and £202,487.

Start from £218,261 in 2016 and the series ends at £293,525, up 34.5%, or £75,264. Two years did most of the work. Figures for 2021 and 2022 rose by 7.3% and 11.6%, carrying the price from £241,511 in 2020 to £289,294. The next year fell 1.2%; afterwards came 0.6%, 1.7% and finally 0.4%. The latest point is the highest of the run, 2016 the lowest.

Price depends heavily on type. Detached homes reach £472,671 while flats stay at £218,563, so a detached home costs £254,108 more than a flat, or 116.3%. Semi-detached homes stand at £291,962 and terraced ones at £247,371. First-time buyers paid £246,042, 16.2% less than buyers overall.

Inside England the regions run from London at £554,430, down 2.2%, to the North East at £165,640, up 3.2%. Buying at the English average triggers £4,676 of Stamp Duty Land Tax for a home mover, 1.6% of the price; a first-time buyer pays £0 and an additional property costs £19,353, with a £150 HM Land Registry fee. Put the same £293,525 through Scotland's Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and the bill is £4,276; through Wales's Land Transaction Tax, £4,112. Council tax follows bands A to H tied to values at 1 April 1991. Sales reached 698,434 in the window from June 2025 to May 2026.

Payotte, from the UK HPI and the calculator.

Calculate for England

If you buy

Stamp Duty Land Tax and registration in England

Rates of HMRC, set at the average price in England (August 2026). Change any field: the amounts are recalculated instantly.

Rates appliedstandard rates
Stamp Duty Land Tax£4,676
Share of the price1.59%
HM Land Registry fee (online application)£150
Total, tax and registration£4,826
Return and payment14 days

Residential purchase by an individual. Not included: conveyancer, survey and lender fees (no official scale). No mortgage figure: Payotte has no official UK mortgage rate to apply. All the rates and sources.

If you sell

Capital Gains Tax on the sale

Your main home, lived in for all the time you owned it: no tax (Private Residence Relief). A second home or a buy-to-let: Capital Gains Tax, same rates in all four nations.

Gain£75,264
Taxable after the £3,000 allowance£72,264
Rate24%
Capital Gains Tax£17,343

Report and pay within 60 days of completion. Assumes no other gains this tax year and the whole £3,000 allowance unused (2026 to 2027).

Default example: bought at the average price in England in August 2016 (£218,261), sold at the August 2026 average (£293,525), UK House Price Index. Rates for 2026 to 2027: 24% for higher and additional rate taxpayers; for basic rate taxpayers, 18% on the part of the gain that fits in the £37,700 basic Income Tax band once added to taxable income (income minus Personal Allowance), 24% above (HMRC). Gain = sale price − purchase price − costs of buying, selling and improving; Payotte does not estimate those costs (no official scale). GOV.UK: Capital Gains Tax rates · Tax when you sell your home.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average house price in England?

The average price of a home in England was £293,525 in August 2026, +0.4% over twelve months (UK House Price Index).

Have house prices gone up in England?

The average price in England went from £218,261 in August 2016 to £293,525 in August 2026, a change of +34.5%; +0.4% over the last twelve months (UK House Price Index).

How much Stamp Duty Land Tax on an average-priced home in England?

On £293,525, Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) comes to £4,676 for a home mover, £0 for a first-time buyer and £19,353 for an additional property, at the rates in force in England.

How much tax when you sell a home in England?

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 England in August 2016 (£218,261) and sold at the August 2026 average (£293,525), the gain of £75,264 costs a higher rate taxpayer £17,343, before deducting the costs of buying, selling and improving. The tax is reported and paid within 60 days of completion (HMRC).

Prices by property type, August 2026

TypeAverage priceUK
Detached£472,671£443,846
Semi-detached£291,962£278,675
Terraced£247,371£232,505
Flat or maisonette£218,563£194,148
All types£293,525£273,037
First-time buyers£246,042—

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

YearAverage priceChange on the year before
2016£218,261—
2017£229,074+5%
2018£234,731+2.5%
2019£235,298+0.2%
2020£241,511+2.6%
2021£259,193+7.3%
2022£289,294+11.6%
2023£285,690-1.2%
2024£287,343+0.6%
2025£292,319+1.7%
2026£293,525+0.4%

Areas covered in England

Sources