A new study has revealed the salary needed to buy a house in every London borough, ranging from £214,750 in Kensington and Chelsea to £63,620 in Barking and Dagenham. The study also highlights the affordability challenges faced by single people in the competitive London housing market.
If you've ever wondered how much you need to earn to buy a house in every London borough, the maths is now in. It's no surprise that the borough requiring the highest salary is the luxurious Kensington and Chelsea at £214,750. This towers over the UK average (£37,430, according to the Office For National Statistics), marking a staggering £177,320 difference.
Known for its luxury properties, including Victorian and Georgian townhouses with access to exclusive gated garden squares, the average property in Kensington and Chelsea will set you back £1,136,900, according to new findings from Zoopla. Things aren't much better in Westminster, which had the second-highest salary requirements at £180,860 (with an average property price of £957,500). These figures can be either joint or individual – so if you were buying alone as a single person, you'd need to be solely responsible for these earnings, which is sadly yet another way single people are disadvantaged when it comes to property ownership. However, if you were buying with a partner (or even a friend), you'd be splitting the costs – and so these represent the figures you'd need to earn collectively. Even if that means that one person was earning £150,000 and the other £30,860. But what about the most 'affordable' end of the spectrum? With the lowest necessary salary of all the London boroughs, Barking and Dagenham requires combined earnings of £63,620. Here, the average property costs £336,800. While that might seem cheap as chips for London, it's still miles ahead of the typical UK property price, which is now £267,700 – £69,100 cheaper than this East London borough. If the thought of leaving London breaks your heart though, and you have the means, Barking and Dagenham is worth investing in. Here, Zoopla’s figures have assumed a 15% deposit (which would be £50,520), and a mortgage offer of four-and-a-half times the income needed to acquire the average property here, rounded up to the nearest £10 (£286,290). It’s also worth noting that the salary needed to buy here is relatively in keeping with the ONS figures on the national average – if you’re co-mortgaging with someone else and you both earn at least £37,430 each, that is. Again, it’s a trickier journey for single people. There’s also the barrier of saving up for the deposit, which can take years without the help of generational wealth. Elsewhere though, Croydon is also a relatively promising option if you’re looking to keep things semi-affordable (in London terms, naturally). Here, the average house price comes in at £394,100, which necessitates earnings of £74,430, whether singular or combined. Croydon might’ve previously been named the capital’s ‘most depressing area’ (and the 12th most depressing in the UK), but in November 2024, it was also named the most affordable place to live in London. Plus, there’s a frankly huge Ikea, as well as an impressive network of bright green trams and even a Boxpark. What’s not to love?
LONDON HOUSING MARKET PROPERTY PRICES AFFORDABILITY SALARY REQUIREMENTS
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