Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Life
    2. Homes and Interiors

    The best (and worst) places to buy your first home in the UK

    Jadie Troy-Pryde's avatar
    By Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Published 3 March 2020 In Buying Guides

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    best place first time buyers uk 1046700362
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Finding out that the average wage to buy your first home in the UK is £54k a year - when the average salary for full-time employees was £30,353 in the 2018/19 financial year - can be disheartening to say the least.

    However, if you're keen to get your foot on the property ladder but aren't sure where to settle down, it could be a good idea to find out which cities are the most first timer friendly.

    A new report by digital broker Mojo Mortgages has cross-referenced the monthly mortgage cost and the area's average income to pinpoint the best (and worst) places to buy your first property in the UK.

    The affordability index calculations include monthly bills, commuting expenses and price per square metre, and it turns out that Newcastle is the place to be for first time buyers.

    It's closely followed by Aberdeen, Belfast, Stoke-on Trent and Hull.

    And which cities aren't so first time buyer friendly? Well, no surprises here - London tops the list, followed by Derby, Northampton, Brighton and Liverpool.

    Best places for first time buyers in the UK

    • Newcastle
    • Aberdeen
    • Belfast
    • Stoke-on-Trent
    • Hull
    • Coventry
    • Southampton
    • Bournemouth
    • Cardiff
    • Leeds

    Worst places for first time buyers in the UK

    • London
    • Derby
    • Northampton
    • Brighton
    • Liverpool
    • Luton
    • Manchester
    • Bristol
    • Edinburgh
    • Leicester

    'Getting on the property ladder as a first-time buyer is notoriously difficult, unless you happen to have a few grand stashed away in your savings account or can ask the Bank of Mum and Dad to help with the deposit,' said Richard Hayes, CEO and co-founder of Mojo Mortgages.

    'Our first-time buyer index gives potential home buyers the chance to see where they could buy, and what’s affordable for them in some of the most popular towns and cities in the UK.'

    Would you consider relocating to get the keys to your first home?

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Social Links Navigation
    News Editor

    Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.

    Read more
    Barbie's DreamHouse Is on Rightmove
    Homes and Interiors The Barbie DreamHouse Is on Rightmove, But What Does Female Home Ownership Look Like in 2026?
    Best walking pads: A woman on a walking pad at home getting her daily steps in
    Fitness Walking Pads Are the Fitness Buy of the Summer—8 Best To Transform Your WFH Routine
     
     
    Notting Hill Carnival
    Culture The Agenda: How to Spend Your Finite Free Time Well This Summer
    Best UK running races: Health Editor Ally Head running London Landmarks Half Marathon
    Health and Fitness Eager To Beat Your Personal Best or Achieve a New Distance Goal? I Run Most Days—12 Best Races To Book Now
     
     
    Latest in Homes and Interiors
    Barbie's DreamHouse Is on Rightmove
    Homes and Interiors The Barbie DreamHouse Is on Rightmove, But What Does Female Home Ownership Look Like in 2026?
    Laura Deller, Photographed by Jane Russell.
    Homes and Interiors How I Found Myself Again as a Stay-at-Home Mum
     
     
    Former fashion model Helen Dzo Dzo Kaptur (in white lace), Nelda Linsk (in yellow), wife of art dealer Joseph Linsk, and actress Lita Baron (in white sunhat) at the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs, California, January 1970. The Linsks are the current owners of the house. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images)
    Homes and Interiors Move Over Swimming Pools, Every Rich Person Wants an Analogue Room
    7 Ways to Create Space in Your Home and Inner Life for 2026
    Homes and Interiors 7 Ways to Create Space in Your Home and Inner Life for 2026
     
     
    Latest in Buying Guides
    30 AW26 BUYS
    Fashion 30 of the Most Sought-After New Season Buys to Kick-Start Your Autumn/Winter 2026 Wardrobe
    Senior Health Editor trying Rapha, Pas Normal, Universal Colours, and Jelenew cycling gear, in Richmond Park and Brighton
    Fitness I'm a Fashion-Conscious Health Editor Who Just Started Cycling—6 Brands That Finally Nailed Style and Performance
     
     
    Best foundation balms
    Make Up If You’ve Fallen Out of Love With Foundation in Your 30s, This Hydrating, Blurring Alternative Still Gives Impressive Coverage
    Reformation Sale
    Fashion The Reformation Summer Sale Is Full of Autumn Buys—So I Spent Two Hours Finding the Best Ones
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.