The Top 10 Cheapest Places to Buy a House in England: A Guide
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by Robert Jones, Founder of Property Investments UK
With nearly two decades in UK property, Rob has been investing in buy-to-let since 2005, and uses property data to develop tools for property market analysis.
Property in England can be expensive. The average house price in England is currently around £300,000. But the average house price in locations like London tops £525,000. And, average prices in the most expensive areas of London are now over £1 million.
But it is possible to find good value property to buy in England if you know where to look. In fact, the average property price in the cheapest areas of England is only around £72,000. In the cheapest parts of England, it’s possible to find a property to buy for as little as £25,000.
In this report, we’ve analysed property price and location data from right across the country to find the top 10 cheapest places in England to buy a house or flat.
1. Shildon
Shildon is currently the cheapest area of England in which to buy a property.
Shildon is in County Durham, in the northeast of England. Shildon is close to the larger towns of Bishop Auckland and Newton Aycliffe. It is only around 10 miles from the city of Durham.
The average house price in Shildon (based on the DL4 postcode) is currently just £72,457.
Shildon has good road connections to the A1(M) and a direct train service to Darlington, Middlesbrough and elsewhere.
Shildon is an ex-industrial town, once known for its coal mines and its railway industry, and which has suffered industrial decline over the years. It is now mainly a residential area offering very good value property to rent or buy.
It is possible to buy even cheaper houses or flats in the area. The cheapest property available in Shildon, according to Rightmove and Zoopla, is only £35,000.
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2. Sunderland
Sunderland is the second cheapest area of England in which to buy a property.
The city of Sunderland has a population of around 280,000. It is part of the Tyne & Wear region in the northeast of England. It is close to the city of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The city centre is the cheapest part of Sunderland. The average house price in Sunderland (based on the SR1 postcode) is currently just £75,082. The Sunderland SR3 postcode area is also amongst the top 15 cheapest areas of England to buy property in, with an average price of around £117,000.
Sunderland is a major commercial city which provides many jobs. It is known for the company Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK (NMUK).
Doxford International Business Park is home to a number of large businesses and around 8,000 people work there. The University of Sunderland is here, so there is also a demand for student accommodation.
According to Rightmove and Zoopla house prices in Sunderland start from as little as £32,000.
Here’s a useful article which looks at buy-to-let investment in Sunderland.
3. Middlesbrough
Middlesborough is on Teesside and has a population of around 138,000.
The average house price in Middlesborough (based on the TS1 town centre postcode) is currently just £77,090.
Middlesbrough property prices start at around £30,000 according to Rightmove and Zoopla.
Middlesbrough is an industrial town which has suffered a decline after the Teesside Steelworks closed. Manufacturing, chemicals and Teesport are still major employers and there is a growing digital sector. There are plans underway to regenerate the old steelworks and attract new industries.
Teesside University is in the town, meaning there is also a demand for student lets in Middlesbrough.
Here’s a useful article which looks at buy-to-let investment in Middlesbrough.
4. Peterlee
Peterlee has a population of around 23,000. Peterlee is in County Durham, in England’s north east. Peterlee is a one time new town which was developed from the 1950s onwards and was named after Peter Lee. The wider area includes the original mining villages of Horden and Easington Colliery.
The average house price in the Peterlee area (based on the SR8 postcode area) is currently just £84,606.
Investors can find some really good value property in Peterlee. Property prices in the Peterlee area start at just £40,000, according to Rightmove and Zoopla.
5. Stanley
Stanley is one of the few places in England where average property prices are still under £100,000.
Stanley is County Durham. It shouldn’t be confused with other towns in England called Stanley, such as Stanley in West Yorkshire or Stanley in Derbyshire.
The average house price in Stanley (based on the DH9 postcode) is currently just £96,587. DH9 covers Stanley, Dipton and Annfield Plain.
Stanley is a one-time mining and industrial town. It is now mainly residential. Stanley is convenient for commuting into the Newcastle area for those who work there.
Buyers looking to buy or invest in Stanley, Co. Durham, will find property prices start at around £37,500.
6. Ashington
Ashington is in Northumberland, around 15 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne. Ashington is also close to the town of Morpeth.
The average house price in Ashington (based on the NE63 postcode) is currently just above £100,000 at £109,943.
It is possible to buy even cheaper houses or flats in the Ashington area. Rightmove and Zoopla report that house prices here start at just £38,000.
The Ashington property market should get a major boost in the near future when Ashington's train station on the new Northumberland Line opens, expected in 2024. Locals will be able to get a train into Newcastle city centre taking just 35 minutes.
7. Ferryhill
Ferryhill is a small town in County Durham in England’s northeast region. It has a population of around 10,000.
The average property price in Ferryhill (based on the Darlington DL17 postcode) is currently just £111,527.
Ferryhill is a one-time mining town but is now mainly residential being a good value place to buy or rent. Ferryhill has good transport links on the A1(M) around the region and is also convenient for travel to places like Newton Aycliffe, Bishop Auckland, Durham and Darlington.
The cheapest property available in Ferryhill (according to Rightmove and Zoopla) starts from around £40,000.
8. Blackpool
Blackpool is well known for being a seaside resort, for Blackpool Tower and for Blackpool Illuminations. Blackpool is less well known for being one of the top ten cheapest places to buy a property anywhere in the country.
Blackpool is in Lancashire in England’s northwest. It has a population of around 140,000.
The average house price in Blackpool (based on the FY1 postcode which includes the town centre, North Shore and South Shore areas) is just £111,562. This area of Blackpool offers even cheaper property too – according to Rightmove and Zoopla Blackpool prices start at £27,950.
Blackpool is benefitting from lots of regeneration at the moment, which should boost the Blackpool property market. Talbot Gateway is a new business district which should attract new jobs. The new Blackpool Central leisure attraction and the Showtime museum should attract more visitors to the town. There’s a new £30m Conference & Exhibition Centre at the Winter Gardens.
Here’s a useful article which looks at buy-to-let investment in Blackpool.
9. Bradford
Bradford in West Yorkshire has a population of 534,000. That makes Bradford the fifth-largest metropolitan area in England.
Bradford is one of the cheapest cities in England in which to buy property. The BD3 postcode area has the cheapest property in Bradford. Average prices here are just £115,633.
Property prices in Bradford start from as little as £25,000 (Rightmove and Zoopla figures).
Bradford is a major commercial city with many large employers in financial and business services, retail, distribution and the public sector including Wm Morrison Supermarkets, Yorkshire Building Society and Yorkshire Water. The University of Bradford means there is also a student property market in the city.
Bradford has been nominated for the UK City of Culture 2025. With many events being planned to celebrate it, this should help raise the profile of the city.
Here’s a useful article which looks at buy-to-let investment in Bradford.
10. Liverpool
Liverpool is one of England’s largest cities with a population of around 490,000. That makes Liverpool one of the cheapest large cities in England in which to buy property.
Not all of Liverpool is a cheap property hotspot, however. The cheapest parts of Liverpool are the L28 and L6 postcode areas. This includes areas such as Stockbridge Village (L28) and parts of the city centre, Anfield, Everton, Fairfield, Kensington and Tuebrook (L6). In these areas, average property prices are around £116,300.
Liverpool is famous for many things, such as Liverpool FC and the Beatles. It’s also a major commercial and industrial city providing many jobs and boosting the demand for accommodation. Liverpool is also a major student city with 50,000 students needing accommodation. The University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) have campuses on the fringes of the city centre.
Here’s a useful article which looks at buy-to-let investment in Liverpool.
So, Where are the Cheapest Places in England to Buy Property?
London and the southeast are not the cheapest parts of England to buy property. The cheapest areas of England in which to buy property are mostly in the northeast and northwest of England.
According to our latest research, the top ten cheapest areas of England in which to buy a house or flat are (in alphabetical order) found in Ashington, Blackpool, Bradford, Ferryhill, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Peterlee, Shildon, Stanley and Sunderland.
About Our Data
Note: Property prices are based on figures from Property.xyz, Rightmove and Zoopla.