The towns where a couple can still buy a home for less than two years’ salary

Shildon in County Durham is Britain’s most affordable town in the analysis, with the average home costing about £73,600, or 1.15 times the annual earnings of a local couple working full-time. The findings highlight how much housing affordability varies across Britain, with northern England and Scotland offering far lower price-to-earnings ratios than London and the south-east.

Ferryhill and Peterlee, also in County Durham, rank second and third, with average prices of £91,500 and £96,500 respectively. Of 929 towns analysed, 36 had home values below twice local household earnings; Scotland accounted for almost two-thirds of them. Across all towns, the average home cost £299,100, or 4.3 times annual household earnings of about £69,600. Zoopla said slower house-price growth has helped affordability, though higher mortgage rates still raise monthly costs.