The UK's 'most expensive' areas to buy a house revealed - only two are in London

British banking instauration Halifax has revealed the slightest affordable section areas successful the UK to bargain a location - and its confounded the presumption that homebuying budgets spell slightest acold successful London.

It turns out, according to the bank's research, that 8 retired of the apical 10 worst worth places to bargain a location successful the UK are really extracurricular the capital.

Kensington & Chelsea - 3rd - and Epping Forest - 10th - are the areas of Greater London that marque it into the list, but aft that the superior isn't represented astatine all.

However, the slightest affordable section areas are each successful and astir the capital. Elmbridge successful Surrey tops the list, followed by St Albans successful Hertfordshire.

Waverley successful Surrey follows Kensington & Chelsea, and aft that its Sevenoaks successful Kent. Sixth is Mole Valley, besides successful Surrey, and seventh is Windsor and Maidenhead successful Berkshire.

Hertsmere successful Hertfordshire is next, followed by Guildford successful Surrey. Bringing up the rear is Epping Forest which has been classified arsenic Greater London but cuts crossed the borderline with Essex.

"Housing affordability has improved implicit the past year, acknowledgment to stabilising spot prices, beardown wage growth, and easing interest rates," Amanda Bryden, caput of Halifax Mortgages, said.

"However, portion homes are becoming much affordable, the advancement has been gradual. Buying a spot remains a important situation for many, with prices inactive adjacent grounds highs and interest rates apt to enactment higher than we've been utilized to implicit the past decade."

The champion worth places successful the UK according to Halifax are recovered successful the northbound of England, the Midlands, oregon Scotland.

Topping the database is Kingston upon Hull successful East Yorkshire, followed by Burnley and Blackpool - some successful Lancashire.

Besides South Tyneside successful the north-east of England and Stoke-on-Trent successful the West Midlands, the remainder of the database is populated by places successful Scotland.

West Dunbartonshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, and Dundee each marque it into the apical ten.

House terms affordability is worked retired utilizing the ratio of an area's mean yearly wage and mean location price. The little the ratio for a peculiar area, the much affordable it is to bargain a location there.

So, successful Greater London, mean net are £65,628 a year, portion the mean location terms is £539,238. That puts the income: net ratio astatine 8.22.

Meanwhile, successful the north-east of England, the mean location terms is £171,338, portion wages mean astatine £39,138 a year. This puts the income:earnings ratio astatine 4.38.