A June 2023 Rightmove feature compared coastal locations in Great Britain by average asking price. Saltcoats in Ayrshire led its lower-priced sales selection at £113,395. The figure described the listings dataset used for that historical comparison, rather than the cost of every home in the town.
Girvan, also in Ayrshire, followed at £121,269. The English locations in the five-place selection were Blackpool at £147,244, Fleetwood at £154,560 and South Shields at £162,261. These were asking-price averages, not confirmed completed-sale values or present-day quotations.
The accompanying descriptions gave some sense of the different places. Saltcoats was presented through its residential streets and coastal apartments. Girvan’s setting included views towards Ailsa Craig and a mix of sandstone houses, terraces and flats. Blackpool’s familiar visitor attractions were mentioned alongside its residential property types.
A separate comparison concerned advertised rents. Skegness headed that list at £659 per calendar month, followed by Fleetwood, South Shields, Cleethorpes and Whitehaven. The sales and rental rankings therefore did not contain identical locations. A town’s position in one measure cannot simply be transferred to the other.
Rightmove’s commentary connected continuing coastal interest with the changes in location preferences seen during and after the pandemic. Its expert Tim Bannister also discussed flexible working as one reason some people could consider living farther from traditional employment centres. That was an explanation of the interest described at the time, rather than evidence that the same pattern suited every household.
The article’s use of cheaper locations was relative to its chosen comparison. It did not establish affordability for a particular buyer or tenant, which depends on individual circumstances and the actual home available. An average also combines different kinds of property rather than specifying a complete purchase budget.
This retrospective records the June 2023 ranking with its dates and measures intact. The figures should not be used as current asking prices, advertised rents or an investment recommendation. Their purpose is to show how one historical coastal-market comparison was assembled and the distinctions needed to interpret it.