Zoopla has identified 36 towns where typical home values are below twice the combined annual earnings of two local full-time workers. Its research, published on 6 November 2026, puts Shildon in County Durham at the top of the affordability ranking.
The distinction between two incomes and one is central to understanding the figures. This is a comparison of local values and earnings, not a promise that a lender will approve a mortgage or that a household can buy without a deposit.
What the research found
Zoopla analysed 929 towns across Great Britain. Shildon's typical value was £73,600, equivalent to 1.15 times its household-earnings measure. Ferryhill and Peterlee also had values below £100,000. Scotland accounted for 23 of the 36 towns below the two-times threshold, followed by eight in the North East.
For readers in the West Midlands, Stoke-on-Trent was the region's most affordable town in the analysis, at £160,700 and 2.64 times household earnings. Across Britain, Zoopla's typical value was £299,100, or 4.3 times the earnings measure.
How to use a ranking
Our editorial recommendation is to treat this as a starting point for investigating places, rather than a shortlist of guaranteed bargains. Begin with the household budget you actually have. A single buyer should not apply a two-worker ratio to their own circumstances without recalculating it.
Then compare specific properties: condition, transport needs, likely work, tenure and the practical costs of living there. A lower purchase price can be helpful, but it does not tell you whether a home meets your needs or what repairs it may require.
For investors, local demand and the suitability of the individual property need separate assessment. An affordability table does not establish a rental yield, tenant demand or future capital growth. For agents, it can support a conversation about relative value while leaving room for street-level evidence and recent comparable transactions.
The figures are Zoopla's research findings, not valuations of individual homes or personalised borrowing advice. Buyers should check finance and property details independently before committing.
Source checked 7 November 2026: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/press/releases/britains-most-affordable-towns-revealed-where-homes-cost-less-than-two-years-worth-of-household-earnings/