Buying a house is a life goal for many of us, though it can seem out of reach if we aren't lucky enough to have help from the bank of mum and dad.
With this in mind, it's definitely interesting to check out a new list of the most and least affordable cities to buy a home.
Halifax compiled the list by dividing the average house price in each city by the average salary there. The higher the ratio, the less affordable that city is deemed to be.
Winchester in Hampshire is named the least affordable city because its house prices are 14 times the average salary. Oxford is nearly as unaffordable with house prices 12.4 times the average salary.
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Truro in Cornwall (house prices 12.1 times the average salary) and Bath in Somerset (also 12.1 times) are right behind.
Perhaps surprisingly, London is only the eighth least affordable city on the list because its high property prices are matched – at least relatively-speaking – by high salaries.
The UK's 10 least affordable cities are ranked below. The numbers after each city represent the price-to-salary ratio followed by average house price and average salary.
1. Winchester, South East, 14.0, £630,432, £45,059
2. Oxford, South East, 12.4, £486,928, £39,220
3. Truro, South West, 12.1, £356,788, £29,558
3. Bath, South West, 12.1, £476,470, £39,508
5. Chichester, South East, 10.6, £446,899, £37,352
6. Cambridge, East Anglia, 11.9, £482,300, £40,492
7. Brighton and Hove, South East, 11.6, £449,243, £38,737
8. London, South East, 11.0, £564,695, £51,257
9. St Albans, South East, 10.2, £604,423, £59,391
9. Chelmsford, South East, 10.2, £424,690, £41,781
2. Oxford, South East, 12.4, £486,928, £39,220
3. Truro, South West, 12.1, £356,788, £29,558
3. Bath, South West, 12.1, £476,470, £39,508
5. Chichester, South East, 10.6, £446,899, £37,352
6. Cambridge, East Anglia, 11.9, £482,300, £40,492
7. Brighton and Hove, South East, 11.6, £449,243, £38,737
8. London, South East, 11.0, £564,695, £51,257
9. St Albans, South East, 10.2, £604,423, £59,391
9. Chelmsford, South East, 10.2, £424,690, £41,781
At the other end of the scale, Londonderry in Northern Ireland is named the most affordable city to buy a home, with house prices coming in at just 4.7 times the average salary. Carlisle in Cumbria is close behind with house prices 4.8 times the average salary.
The Scottish cities of Stirling, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Perth and Inverness all make the top ten, which appears in full below.
1. Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 4.7, £155,917, £33,138
2. Carlisle, North, 4.8, £163,232, £34,087
2. Bradford, Yorkshire and the Humber, 4.8, £164,410, £34,219
4. Stirling, Scotland, 5.4, £208,927, £38,744
4. Aberdeen, Scotland, 5.4, £205,199, £38,016
4. Glasgow, Scotland, 5.4, £196,625, £36,205
7. Perth, Scotland, 5.5, £203,229, £36,700
8. Inverness, Scotland, 5.6, £191,840, £34,373
8. Hull, Yorkshire and the Humber, 5.6, £156,424, £27,730
10. Dundee, Scotland, 5.8, £181,150, £31,344
2. Carlisle, North, 4.8, £163,232, £34,087
2. Bradford, Yorkshire and the Humber, 4.8, £164,410, £34,219
4. Stirling, Scotland, 5.4, £208,927, £38,744
4. Aberdeen, Scotland, 5.4, £205,199, £38,016
4. Glasgow, Scotland, 5.4, £196,625, £36,205
7. Perth, Scotland, 5.5, £203,229, £36,700
8. Inverness, Scotland, 5.6, £191,840, £34,373
8. Hull, Yorkshire and the Humber, 5.6, £156,424, £27,730
10. Dundee, Scotland, 5.8, £181,150, £31,344
Russell Galley of Halifax said of the results: "Affordability is significantly better in the north and there are now just two cities – Plymouth and Portsmouth – with better than average affordability in the south."
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