housing · the national record
House prices across the UK
The average price of a home in every part of the UK, from the UK House Price Index. This is the national picture: how prices have climbed over thirty years, how far they vary between places, which nations are rising or falling, and where West Lothian sits. The UK average is now £270,080.
How to read this
The UK House Price Index is the official measure, produced by HM Land Registry, the ONS and the devolved bodies from registered sales. The figure is the average price for an area, not a typical first home, and it lags by about two months. It says nothing on its own about earnings, so a high price is not the same as unaffordable everywhere.
Every figure is computed from the UK House Price Index, dataset covering sales to April 2026, published by HM Land Registry and the ONS in June 2026. Areas are identified by their official codes; West Lothian is S12000040.
Thirty years
The long climb
The average UK home cost about £51,529 in 1995. It now costs £270,080, roughly 5.2 times as much. Prices rose fastest through the 2000s, paused after the financial crisis, then climbed again. Over the last year the UK average has risen about 3.8 per cent.
UK average house price (mean) each year. Source: UK House Price Index.
Across the four nations
Prices across the four nations
Average prices by nation. England is far the most expensive at £291,445, while the cheapest nation, Scotland, averages £191,927. All four nations rose over the last year, fastest in Northern Ireland at 7.4 per cent.
Place matters most
A 11.0 times gap, end to end
Where you live matters more than anything. The most expensive council area, Kensington and Chelsea, averages £1,272,760. The cheapest, Inverclyde, averages £115,613, about 11.0 times less. The dearest places are almost all in London and the South East; the cheapest are in the North and in parts of Scotland.
Most expensive
Cheapest
Close to home
West Lothian
A home in West Lothian averaged £105,452 in 2005. It now averages £224,924, about 2.1 times as much, and is up 4.1% over the last year. That sits above the Scottish average of £191,927, a reminder that the commuter belt around Edinburgh carries a premium.
Average price by year (West Lothian)
Questions this raises
For housing policy
- UK prices have risen roughly five times since 1995, far ahead of most pay. What would actually bring a first home back within reach?
- The index cannot answer that on its own. It shows that the average UK home cost about £51,529 in 1995 and £270,080 at the latest reading, roughly 5.2 times as much, with the fastest rises through the 2000s, a pause after the financial crisis and a further climb since. What it does not show is earnings, so it cannot say how far out of reach a first home is in any given place, only how far prices have moved.
- The four nations are rising at different speeds. Will the gaps between them keep narrowing, or start to widen again?
- The latest reading shows all four nations rising over the year, but at different rates: Northern Ireland at 7.4 per cent, England at 3.9 per cent, Wales at 3.5 per cent, Scotland at 2.8 per cent. On those rates Northern Ireland, at £198,015, is closing on England's £291,445, while Scotland, at £191,927, is falling further behind it. The page holds one year's change for each nation and cannot say which way the gaps move next.
- The dearest council area costs more than ten times the cheapest. How much of opportunity now depends simply on where you can afford to live?
- The index measures the price gap, not what follows from it. The most expensive council area, Kensington and Chelsea, averages £1,272,760; the cheapest, Inverclyde, averages £115,613, about 11.0 times less. The dearest places are almost all in London and the South East and the cheapest are in the North and in parts of Scotland. Whether that gap shapes opportunity would need data on earnings, jobs and mobility, none of which this page carries.
- Areas like West Lothian carry a commuter premium over the wider nation. Is enough being built where the demand and the jobs are?
- The index does not count homes built, so it cannot answer the supply question directly. What it shows is the price signal: West Lothian averaged £224,924 at the latest reading against £191,927 for Scotland as a whole, up 4.1 per cent over the year and about 2.1 times its 2005 average of £105,452. The page reads that premium as the Edinburgh commuter belt at work; whether building is keeping pace with it needs housing supply data that is not shown here.
Sources & method
Data provenance
- UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry and ONS) ↗· Open Government Licence v3.0
Caveats & data notes
- The figure is the average (mean) price for an area, which a few very expensive sales can lift above the typical home.
- The index lags by about two months and recent months can be revised.
- Price alone is not affordability. A full affordability picture needs local earnings, which are not shown here.
- Scotland enters the index in 2004 and Northern Ireland in 2005, so the longest series are for England and Wales.
- West Lothian is identified by its official area code (S12000040).
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Every figure on this page traces to its official source. Share it as it stands.
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