A new study by Conveyancing-Solicitor.co.uk offers just that. Analysing 70 of the UK’s most populated cities using the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, the study compared the average property price in each city with the average annual salary. The result? A home price-to-income ratio that shows how many years of full earnings it would take to afford a typical home. The lower the ratio, the more affordable the city is for aspiring homeowners.
In third place is Hull, where property prices average just £134,561. Though earnings are more modest at £29,232, the resulting affordability ratio is still a decent 4.60. Hull offers some of the cheapest homes in the country, a major draw for buyers with tight budgets.
Despite the lower wages, Hull has been undergoing continued investment and regeneration in recent years, particularly in the city centre and docklands area, helping to boost its reputation and overall appeal as an affordable place to live.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen (1st) and Dundee (2nd) continue to shine for affordability, with both cities offering homes at just under £147,000 and price-to-income ratios of 3.90 and 4.49 respectively. Blackpool (4th) and Middlesbrough (5th) also remain top picks, where typical house prices sit just above £134,000 and incomes stay below £29,000, yielding ratios of 4.67 and 4.74.
Burnley (6th) and Stoke-on-Trent (7th) both report affordability ratios of 4.90, though Burnley’s ultra-low house prices are offset by equally low wages. Sunderland (8th), Glasgow (9th), and Blackburn (10th) keep up the affordability narrative with ratios under 5.3.
At the other end of the scale, several cities are priced well beyond the reach of average earners. Westminster ranks at the bottom of the list as the least affordable location, with an eye-watering home price-to-income ratio of 19.97. Other London hotspots such as Archway (17.06), Islington (15.27), and London overall (13.63) all follow closely behind.
University towns and commuter favourites aren’t far off either, with Cambridge (13.53), Brighton (13.17), and Sutton (13.16) showing how tricky it is to buy without a substantial salary or outside help. Even Oxford (13.08), Huddersfield (12.80) and Bexley (11.96) round out the bottom ten, where homes are simply out of sync with local incomes. For many buyers in these areas, affordability is little more than a pipe dream.
Top 10 list of the cheapest UK cities to buy a home in 2025 according to the study:
| Rank | City | Average home price | Annual income | Home price-to-income ratio |
| 1 | Aberdeen | £146,182 | £37,440 | 3.90 |
| 2 | Dundee | £146,796 | £32,688 | 4.49 |
| 3 | Kingston upon Hull | £134,561 | £29,232 | 4.60 |
| 4 | Blackpool | £134,013 | £28,704 | 4.67 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | £134,424 | £28,368 | 4.74 |
| 6 | Burnley | £122,188 | £24,960 | 4.90 |
| 7 | Stoke-on-Trent | £142,901 | £29,136 | 4.90 |
| 8 | Sunderland | £140,675 | £28,512 | 4.93 |
| 9 | Glasgow | £184,206 | £36,000 | 5.12 |
| 10 | Blackburn | £158,790 | £30,048 | 5.28 |