Bradford, in West Yorkshire has just been named the cheapest place for first-time buyers to get on the UK property ladder. Imagine that!
Thus was reveled in a recent investigation undertaken by property website, Rightmove. Not only did it reveal the cheapest cities for first-time buyers, it also shows the most expensive places to get on the property ladder.
The research itself was based on average asking prices for typical first-time buyer homes, with a maximum of two bedrooms in the most popular UK cities. Obviously, this is assumptive, as not all first-time buyers will want a two-bed house. It also assumed that first-time buyers had a 10% deposit and would opt for a 25-year mortgage and the research is based on these precedents. Read more about the research on Rightmove UK today.
Least expensive UK cities for for first-time buyers
Aerial view of Shipley, Bradford, West Yorkshire
1. Bradford, West Yorkshire
The average asking price for a first-time buyer in cultural Bradford came in at €104,643. If you’re not accustomed with Bradford, it’s a beautiful city known for its urban grit, heritage and culture. The city is referred to as an industrial revolution “boom town”. It has a huge mix of cultures too, which has awarded its reputation for some of the best curry restaurants in the UK.
Carlisle is on the English border of Scotland
2. Carlisle, Cumbria
The second-cheapest place to buy as a first-time buyer was revealed as Carlisle in Cumbria, where the average asking price came in at £104,784.
Carlisle in Northwest England is nicknamed the ‘Great Border City’ as it is just shy of the Scottish border. It is renowned for its heritage, local markets and many castles. It’s a predominantly rural area, surrounded by the Pennines, Solway Estuary and Lake District – it’s a visually stunning place to live, especially if you’re a fan of the outdoors.
Aerial view of Aberdeen and the winding River Dee that feeds into the North Sea
3. Aberdeen, Northeast Scotland
The average asking price for first-time buyers in Aberdeen is £106,088. It’s one of the most architecturally distinctive cities in not just the UK, but Europe! The main street in the heart of Aberdeen is a mile long and lined with stunning granite buildings with classic architecture.
The city itself has two Old Towns, Old Aberdeen and Footdee (known locally as Fittie) – both historically beautiful town centres with cobbled streets, a quirky fishing quarter and eccentric cosmopolitan life.
Hull, East Yorkshire
4. Hull, East Yorkshire
Hull, or Kingston-Upon-Hull, came in as the third-cheapest place to get on the property ladder as a UK first-time buyer. The average asking price for a two-bed home in Hull is £106,939, according to Rightmove.
As a port city in East Yorkshire, Hull is a cultural hub for people from all over England, but mainly Yorkshire. It’s a lively maritime city with friendly locals and a broad selection of bars and restaurants.
Dundee from Law Hill, Scotland
5. Dundee, Eastern Scotland
Coastal city, Dundee came in as the fourth-cheapest UK city for UK first-time buyers to purchase a property. There the same two-bed home with a 25-year mortgage has an asking price of £111,41. As it’s on the coast, it has a nautical heritage and two museums that record the city’s dated history. It’s the fourth-largest city in Scotland and is a vibrant, modern and affordable city in which to live.
Most expensive UK cities for first-time buyers
Unsurprisingly, Rightmove’s research revealed the capital, London, to be the priciest city to get on the property ladder as a UK first-time buyer. There the average asking price for a two-bedroom home on a 25-year mortgage comes in at a staggering £508,879. They also broke this down into the potential monthly mortgage cost and potential monthly rent, which were £2,533 and £2,054, respectively.
The remaining four priciest cities for first-time byers are below, alongside their average asking price, potential monthly mortgage cost and potential monthly rent.
| City | Average asking price | Potential monthly mortgage cost* | Potential monthly rent | How much more a mortgage is/renting: |
| London | £508,879 | £2,533 | £2,054 | £479 |
| St. Albans | £393,485 | £1,958 | £1,433 | £525 |
| Bath | £354,636 | £1,765 | £1,342 | £423 |
| Cambridge | £354,181 | £1,763 | £1,522 | £241 |
| Oxford | £351,943 | £1,752 | £1,422 | £330 |
*Mortgage payment example based on a 5-year fixed, 90% loan-to-value (LTV) mortgage at the current best-buy rate of 4.45%, 25-year term mortgage. Source: Rightmove House Price Index and Podium data
While these stats explain the most expensive cities in the UK, it’s not always that expensive. The average UK house price in May 2023 was £260,736 and a typical asking price of a first-time buyer home is £226,399.
