The UK’s 10 cheapest seaside towns revealed | UK | News
House-hunters appear ever more enthusiastic about buying a new home with a sea view. But while some coastal hotspots command eye-watering prices, new data from property website Rightmove reveals a raft of affordable alternatives – albeit one with a stark north-south divide at play.
Peterlee in County Durham has emerged as England’s cheapest seaside escape, boasting an average asking price of just £122,246 – a figure more than a quarter of a million pounds below the national average, and more than ten times cheaper than Sandbanks in Poole – the country’s most exclusive coastal enclave, where homes now average a jaw-dropping £1.28 million.
Eight of ten of the cheapest coastal resorts are located in the North. The two exceptions are Saltcoats in Ayrshire, Scotland, and Grimsby in Lincolnshire in the East Midlands. Saltcoats stands out for another reason: Not only is it Scotland’s most affordable seaside escape (£122,208), but it’s also experiencing rapid growth, with prices up 13% year-on-year, so its place at the top of the cheap league seems set to change. Meanwhile, Grimsby (£142,072) offers east coast living at a fraction of what buyers might pay further south.
The stratospheric prices in Sandbanks demonstrate just how vast Britain’s coastal property divide has become. Canford Cliffs (also in Poole) and Milford-on-Sea (Hampshire) complete the luxury top three.
According to expert, buyer interest in coastal properties has jumped eight per cent compared to last year. But while demand soars, prices among the fifty most expensive areas have dipped by one per cent, opening up fresh opportunity for those willing to invest at either end of the market.
Property expert Colleen Babcock notes: “These lower-priced seaside spots offer home-movers a sea view at a fraction of the price, with average asking prices over a quarter of a million pounds below the national average.”
Here are the ten cheapest and the ten most expensive coastal areas in the UK:
Cheapest Seaside Towns in the UK
– Peterlee, County Durham – £122,246
– Saltcoats, Ayrshire (Scotland) – £122,208
– Ashington, Northumberland – £135,050
– Bootle, Merseyside – £135,208
– Grimsby, Lincolnshire – £142,072
– Blackpool, Lancashire – £142,804
– Fleetwood, Lancashire – £148,101
– Birkenhead, Merseyside – £149,527
– Blyth, Northumberland – £153,487
– Workington, Cumbria – £158,956
Most Expensive Seaside Towns in the UK
– Sandbanks, Poole (Dorset) – £1,282,565
– Canford Cliffs, Poole (Dorset) – £974,635
– Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire – £728,461
– Lymington, Hampshire – £639,316
– Budleigh Salterton, Devon – £535,761
– St. Ives, Cornwall – £507,139
– Dartmouth, Devon – £500,006
– Sidmouth, Devon – £494,811
– Whitstable, Kent – £469,586
– Hythe, Kent – £466,898
