In short
First-time buyers pay less than the average buyer everywhere Payotte looked. The gap is widest in Horsham (−26.7%), St Albans (−26.6%), Buckinghamshire (−26%) and narrowest in Tower Hamlets (−4.2%), Sandwell (−4.9%), City of Kingston upon Hull (−5.6%).
All 134 areas
| # | Area | Nation | First-time buyer price | All buyers | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horsham | England | £323,935 | £441,654 | −26.7% |
| 2 | St Albans | England | £474,986 | £646,781 | −26.6% |
| 3 | Buckinghamshire | England | £355,164 | £479,736 | −26% |
| 4 | East Dunbartonshire | Scotland | £205,115 | £271,608 | −24.5% |
| 5 | Mid Sussex | England | £325,959 | £430,777 | −24.3% |
| 6 | New Forest | England | £291,909 | £384,977 | −24.2% |
| 7 | Test Valley | England | £283,109 | £368,131 | −23.1% |
| 8 | Stratford-on-Avon | England | £307,432 | £396,753 | −22.5% |
| 9 | Aberdeenshire | Scotland | £158,798 | £204,894 | −22.5% |
| 10 | Rutland | England | £233,067 | £298,916 | −22% |
| 11 | East Hertfordshire | England | £357,660 | £457,417 | −21.8% |
| 12 | North Somerset | England | £245,432 | £313,638 | −21.7% |
| 13 | Dorset | England | £254,490 | £325,154 | −21.7% |
| 14 | South Hams | England | £280,351 | £355,483 | −21.1% |
| 15 | Clackmannanshire | Scotland | £131,179 | £166,005 | −21% |
| 16 | South Lanarkshire | Scotland | £146,582 | £185,267 | −20.9% |
| 17 | Babergh | England | £262,087 | £330,523 | −20.7% |
| 18 | Solihull | England | £269,645 | £337,112 | −20% |
| 19 | South Ayrshire | Scotland | £137,557 | £171,905 | −20% |
| 20 | Wiltshire | England | £263,481 | £328,746 | −19.9% |
| 21 | Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole | England | £248,552 | £310,094 | −19.8% |
| 22 | Harborough | England | £278,406 | £347,010 | −19.8% |
| 23 | West Lothian | Scotland | £182,876 | £227,354 | −19.6% |
| 24 | Trafford | England | £322,805 | £400,688 | −19.4% |
| 25 | North Yorkshire | England | £218,387 | £270,463 | −19.3% |
| 26 | Teignbridge | England | £244,183 | £302,368 | −19.2% |
| 27 | West Devon | England | £230,943 | £285,834 | −19.2% |
| 28 | North Hertfordshire | England | £338,611 | £418,857 | −19.2% |
| 29 | Shropshire | England | £222,517 | £275,232 | −19.2% |
| 30 | Highland | Scotland | £178,857 | £221,136 | −19.1% |
| 31 | Cheshire East | England | £250,343 | £309,121 | −19% |
| 32 | Eastleigh | England | £251,538 | £310,283 | −18.9% |
| 33 | Mid Suffolk | England | £257,799 | £315,898 | −18.4% |
| 34 | East Suffolk | England | £225,708 | £276,301 | −18.3% |
| 35 | East Ayrshire | Scotland | £113,692 | £138,971 | −18.2% |
| 36 | Worthing | England | £244,252 | £297,200 | −17.8% |
| 37 | Northumberland | England | £174,820 | £212,563 | −17.8% |
| 38 | Warwick | England | £303,722 | £369,220 | −17.7% |
| 39 | Somerset | England | £232,238 | £282,062 | −17.7% |
| 40 | South Staffordshire | England | £256,245 | £310,862 | −17.6% |
| 41 | Cornwall | England | £227,324 | £275,642 | −17.5% |
| 42 | Bedford | England | £275,319 | £333,824 | −17.5% |
| 43 | Cheshire West and Chester | England | £223,143 | £270,104 | −17.4% |
| 44 | Merton | England | £509,784 | £615,890 | −17.2% |
| 45 | Powys | Wales | £197,194 | £237,762 | −17.1% |
| 46 | West Northamptonshire | England | £242,144 | £291,929 | −17.1% |
| 47 | Warrington | England | £216,562 | £260,040 | −16.7% |
| 48 | Moray | Scotland | £170,038 | £204,008 | −16.7% |
| 49 | East Riding of Yorkshire | England | £183,735 | £220,408 | −16.6% |
| 50 | Breckland | England | £224,268 | £268,905 | −16.6% |
| 51 | Fife | Scotland | £149,399 | £179,134 | −16.6% |
| 52 | Falkirk | Scotland | £144,384 | £173,046 | −16.6% |
| 53 | Milton Keynes | England | £276,504 | £330,419 | −16.3% |
| 54 | City of Edinburgh | Scotland | £254,542 | £303,965 | −16.3% |
| 55 | Croydon | England | £326,693 | £390,041 | −16.2% |
| 56 | Westmorland and Furness | England | £193,348 | £230,449 | −16.1% |
| 57 | Brighton and Hove | England | £343,929 | £408,948 | −15.9% |
| 58 | Central Bedfordshire | England | £300,772 | £356,758 | −15.7% |
| 59 | Wandsworth | England | £578,738 | £686,076 | −15.6% |
| 60 | City of Aberdeen | Scotland | £110,389 | £130,689 | −15.5% |
| 61 | South Gloucestershire | England | £289,455 | £341,833 | −15.3% |
| 62 | Kensington and Chelsea | England | £1,045,054 | £1,232,640 | −15.2% |
| 63 | Charnwood | England | £232,387 | £273,945 | −15.2% |
| 64 | North Lanarkshire | Scotland | £134,614 | £158,591 | −15.1% |
| 65 | Adur | England | £323,209 | £380,120 | −15% |
| 66 | Tendring | England | £220,993 | £259,568 | −14.9% |
| 67 | Wrexham | Wales | £181,344 | £212,778 | −14.8% |
| 68 | Hammersmith and Fulham | England | £629,368 | £738,048 | −14.7% |
| 69 | Telford and Wrekin | England | £193,801 | £226,893 | −14.6% |
| 70 | Sefton | England | £191,851 | £224,289 | −14.5% |
| 71 | North East Derbyshire | England | £217,224 | £253,810 | −14.4% |
| 72 | Wirral | England | £190,080 | £221,849 | −14.3% |
| 73 | York | England | £266,512 | £310,781 | −14.2% |
| 74 | North Northamptonshire | England | £221,175 | £257,807 | −14.2% |
| 75 | Hinckley and Bosworth | England | £223,568 | £260,187 | −14.1% |
| 76 | Cardiff | Wales | £234,155 | £272,252 | −14% |
| 77 | Flintshire | Wales | £185,783 | £215,892 | −13.9% |
| 78 | Exeter | England | £243,505 | £282,696 | −13.9% |
| 79 | Kirklees | England | £180,254 | £208,987 | −13.7% |
| 80 | Bassetlaw | England | £185,574 | £214,281 | −13.4% |
| 81 | North Tyneside | England | £179,153 | £205,744 | −12.9% |
| 82 | Rossendale | England | £174,008 | £199,759 | −12.9% |
| 83 | Leeds | England | £216,085 | £247,695 | −12.8% |
| 84 | Camden | England | £711,980 | £815,159 | −12.7% |
| 85 | Southwark | England | £501,031 | £572,478 | −12.5% |
| 86 | Newcastle upon Tyne | England | £181,679 | £207,547 | −12.5% |
| 87 | City of Peterborough | England | £206,008 | £234,690 | −12.2% |
| 88 | Lambeth | England | £471,431 | £536,623 | −12.1% |
| 89 | Bolton | England | £180,086 | £204,379 | −11.9% |
| 90 | Calderdale | England | £168,749 | £191,385 | −11.8% |
| 91 | Bury | England | £213,927 | £242,437 | −11.8% |
| 92 | Lewisham | England | £431,343 | £488,658 | −11.7% |
| 93 | Sheffield | England | £194,060 | £219,713 | −11.7% |
| 94 | Greenwich | England | £408,984 | £462,589 | −11.6% |
| 95 | North Lincolnshire | England | £159,343 | £179,954 | −11.5% |
| 96 | Cumberland | England | £151,504 | £170,966 | −11.4% |
| 97 | Blaby | England | £256,766 | £289,282 | −11.2% |
| 98 | Dudley | England | £206,313 | £232,196 | −11.1% |
| 99 | Halton | England | £173,061 | £194,727 | −11.1% |
| 100 | City of Bristol | England | £313,331 | £352,262 | −11.1% |
| 101 | Lancaster | England | £180,632 | £202,966 | −11% |
| 102 | County Durham | England | £125,124 | £140,447 | −10.9% |
| 103 | Southampton | England | £210,480 | £235,977 | −10.8% |
| 104 | Wakefield | England | £178,104 | £199,347 | −10.7% |
| 105 | City of Plymouth | England | £199,461 | £223,161 | −10.6% |
| 106 | City of Westminster | England | £783,995 | £876,788 | −10.6% |
| 107 | Ipswich | England | £198,022 | £221,445 | −10.6% |
| 108 | Rotherham | England | £171,614 | £191,496 | −10.4% |
| 109 | Crawley | England | £297,955 | £332,384 | −10.4% |
| 110 | Bradford | England | £164,397 | £182,766 | −10.1% |
| 111 | City of Glasgow | Scotland | £174,386 | £193,675 | −10% |
| 112 | Nuneaton and Bedworth | England | £206,113 | £228,142 | −9.7% |
| 113 | Wigan | England | £175,859 | £194,551 | −9.6% |
| 114 | South Tyneside | England | £146,091 | £161,559 | −9.6% |
| 115 | Birmingham | England | £211,998 | £234,257 | −9.5% |
| 116 | Gateshead | England | £140,797 | £155,550 | −9.5% |
| 117 | Doncaster | England | £156,020 | £172,305 | −9.5% |
| 118 | Hackney | England | £549,012 | £605,729 | −9.4% |
| 119 | Coventry | England | £206,807 | £227,679 | −9.2% |
| 120 | St Helens | England | £168,759 | £185,154 | −8.9% |
| 121 | Oldham | England | £197,996 | £217,171 | −8.8% |
| 122 | Wolverhampton | England | £202,323 | £220,559 | −8.3% |
| 123 | Tameside | England | £192,799 | £209,723 | −8.1% |
| 124 | Salford | England | £210,955 | £229,462 | −8.1% |
| 125 | Walsall | England | £198,016 | £215,329 | −8% |
| 126 | Liverpool | England | £174,382 | £189,036 | −7.8% |
| 127 | Knowsley | England | £174,014 | £188,527 | −7.7% |
| 128 | Bolsover | England | £168,932 | £182,759 | −7.6% |
| 129 | Leicester | England | £211,120 | £227,322 | −7.1% |
| 130 | Hyndburn | England | £131,965 | £141,430 | −6.7% |
| 131 | Manchester | England | £237,094 | £252,309 | −6% |
| 132 | City of Kingston upon Hull | England | £127,859 | £135,511 | −5.6% |
| 133 | Sandwell | England | £195,706 | £205,830 | −4.9% |
| 134 | Tower Hamlets | England | £428,877 | £447,796 | −4.2% |
How Payotte computed it
Average price of first-time buyer purchases compared with the average price of all purchases, same area and month (UK House Price Index).
Prices: average prices of the UK House Price Index for July 2026, published by HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land & Property Services and the ONS. Each area links to its page, with the ten-year trend and a calculator. The data is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0, with a link to this page.
Other Payotte studies
- Stamp duty on the average home, area by area
- What a first-time buyer pays in tax, area by area
- The surcharge on a second home or buy-to-let, area by area
- The 2% non-UK resident surcharge on the average home
- How much house prices rose in ten years, area by area
- House prices over the last twelve months, area by area
- How many flats is a detached house worth, area by area
- The purchase tax on the average detached house, area by area
- The purchase tax on the average flat, area by area
- Where the most homes change hands, area by area
- The same home in the four nations: purchase tax compared
Sources
- UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land & Property Services Northern Ireland, ONS). Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2020. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- GOV.UK, Stamp Duty Land Tax: residential property rates (HMRC); Higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (HMRC, last updated 1 April 2025)
- Revenue Scotland, LBTT residential property (rates and bands as of 1 April 2021, first-time buyer relief); Scottish Budget 2025-2026: ADS rate 8% for contracts on or after 5 December 2024
- Welsh Government, Land Transaction Tax rates and bands (main residential rates from 10 October 2022, higher residential rates from 11 December 2024)