It’s a quiet community of around 10,000 people but boasts a rich industrial heritage, known for becoming the world’s first railway town more than 200 years ago.
Now, Shildon in County Durham has another title to celebrate – after being named by Zoopla experts today as Britain’s most affordable town for families to buy a home.
The status is based on Shildon having the lowest ‘value to earnings’ ratio – the equivalent number of years’ salary it would take two adults to buy a home.
The town, which was the world’s first place to see a steam locomotive hauling passengers on a public railway in 1825, has an average house price of just £82,500.
Properties in Shildon have an estimated monthly mortgage repayment of £325 at 80 per cent loan-to-value, with the estimated required earnings to buy being £60,800.
The town’s value to earnings ratio is therefore 1.36x – with homes in the area also found to be three times cheaper than the South East’s most affordable locations.
The property website based its rankings on the 300 most popular towns for families looking to buy three-bedroom homes, based on the number of views per home.
These towns were then ranked by affordability – with towns in northern England, Scotland and Wales topping the list; and those in southern England at the bottom.
Shildon in County Durham is quiet town of 10,000 people with a rich industrial heritage
A newly-restored replica of Locomotion No.1 departs Shildon station as it passes along the Stockton and Darlington Railway to mark the bicentenary of the route on September 26, 2025
Adelaide Terrace is traditional street in Shildon with a row of red-brick terraced houses
The most expensive house for sale in Shildon is this five-bedroom property for £400,000
In second place was Peterlee, also in County Durham, with a 1.62x ratio – from an average value of £98,750, earnings of £60,800 and monthly payment of £389.
Another County Durham town was in third place, Ferryhill, with a 1.64x ratio from a £99,700 average value, £60,800 earnings and £392 monthly payment.
Fourth place went to Ferndale in the Rhondda Valley of Wales, with a 1.85x ratio from a £113,000 average value, £61,000 earnings and £445 monthly payment.
Cumnock in East Ayrshire topped the list in Scotland with a 1.68x ratio from an average value of £113,600, earnings of £67,700 and monthly payment of £447.
Four other North East England towns followed behind – Stanley (1.88x), Crook (1.70x) and Hartlepool (2.25x) all in County Durham and Ashington (2.10x) in Northumberland. Completing the top ten was Irvine in North Ayrshire (1.x).
The researchers said all UK regions have affordable towns, but higher house prices in southern England mean less affordability and higher monthly repayments.
Dover in Kent is the most affordable town in the South East but the value to earnings ratio is 4.07x with monthly payments of £1,100.
Lowestoft (3.60x) in Suffolk tops the affordability ranking for the East of England and Cinderford in Gloucestershire (3.64x) for the South West.
Zoopla executive director Richard Donnell said: ‘The housing market is entering one of its busiest periods, with the most homes for sale in many years and at a time when buyers are becoming increasingly focused on value for money.
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The second most expensive home on sale in Shildon is this £340,000 four-bedrrom property
A four-bedroom detached house in Shildon with two ensuite shower rooms is up for £189,000
This three-bedroom terraced house in Shildon with a rear yard is on the market for £80,000
Those looking for a first home in Shildon can get a three-bedroom house for just £35,000
‘What stands out is the scale of the affordability gap across the UK. In parts of the North East, families can buy a home for much less than the cost of buying in the most affordable towns in southern England.
‘While there are affordable options in every region, buyers often face a trade-off between lower house prices and their proximity to major employment centres.
‘Many of the most affordable towns in southern England are coastal meaning better affordability may come at the cost of more expensive travel which may not work for everyone.’
He added that there were many tools ‘to help buyers make better informed decisions and understand the trade-offs to make a successful move in 2026’.
Zoopla said all 300 towns in the list had a minimum of ten for-sale listings in the three months to January 2026 and a total stock of more than 1,000 three-bedroom homes.
Local earnings required was estimated using local authority level Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data for a single earner – then doubled for two people, adjusted to bring it forward to January 2026 and rounded to the nearest £100.
Monthly payment amounts were based on the monthly mortgage repayment for a typical three-bedroom house in the town, assuming the home is bought with a 20 per cent deposit and have a repayment period of 30 years at a rate of 4.25 per cent.
Zoopla said cities were excluded from the analysis, including Greater London.
| Rank | GB region / country | Postal town | Average value of a 3-bed home | Estimated earnings required (2 full-time earners) | Value to earnings ratio (Jan 2026) | Estimated monthly mortgage repayment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North East | Shildon | £82,500 | £60,800 | 1.36 | £325 |
| 2 | North East | Peterlee | £98,750 | £60,800 | 1.62 | £389 |
| 3 | North East | Ferryhill | £99,700 | £60,800 | 1.64 | £392 |
| 4 | Wales | Ferndale | £113,000 | £61,000 | 1.85 | £445 |
| 5 | Scotland | Cumnock | £113,600 | £67,700 | 1.68 | £447 |
| 6 | North East | Stanley | £114,450 | £60,800 | 1.88 | £450 |
| 7 | North East | Crook | £118,100 | £60,800 | 1.94 | £465 |
| 8 | Scotland | Irvine | £120,900 | £70,900 | 1.7 | £476 |
| 9 | North East | Ashington | £130,800 | £62,300 | 2.1 | £515 |
| 10 | North East | Hartlepool | £132,600 | £59,000 | 2.25 | £522 |
| Rank | GB region / country | Postal town | Average value of a 3-bed home | Estimated earnings required (2 full-time earners) | Value to earnings ratio (Jan 2026) | Estimated monthly mortgage repayment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North East | Shildon | £82,500 | £60,800 | 1.36 | £325 |
| 4 | Scotland | Cumnock | £113,600 | £67,700 | 1.68 | £447 |
| 6 | Wales | Ferndale | £113,000 | £61,000 | 1.85 | £445 |
| 9 | North West | Egremont | £139,500 | £69,200 | 2.02 | £549 |
| 62 | Yorks & H | Immingham | £157,700 | £59,100 | 2.67 | £621 |
| 75 | E Mids | Gainsborough | £175,300 | £62,900 | 2.79 | £690 |
| 162 | W Mids | Telford | £215,300 | £64,300 | 3.35 | £847 |
| 208 | South West | Cinderford | £272,250 | £74,800 | 3.64 | £1,071 |
| 225 | Eastern | Lowestoft | £234,800 | £61,900 | 3.79 | £924 |
| 287 | South East | Dover | £280,300 | £68,900 | 4.07 | £1,103 |
| Rank | GB region / country | Postal town | Average value of a 3-bed home | Estimated earnings required (2 full-time earners) | Value to earnings ratio (Jan 2026) | Estimated monthly mortgage repayment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | E Mids | Gainsborough | £175,300 | £62,900 | 2.79 | £690 |
| 133 | E Mids | Swadlincote | £230,200 | £72,500 | 3.17 | £906 |
| 141 | E Mids | Worksop | £185,700 | £57,900 | 3.21 | £731 |
| 225 | Eastern | Lowestoft | £234,800 | £61,900 | 3.79 | £924 |
| 237 | Eastern | Brandon | £262,700 | £68,400 | 3.84 | £1,034 |
| 248 | Eastern | Wisbech | £241,200 | £61,600 | 3.91 | £949 |
| 1 | North East | Shildon | £82,500 | £60,800 | 1.36 | £325 |
| 2 | North East | Peterlee | £98,750 | £60,800 | 1.62 | £389 |
| 3 | North East | Ferryhill | £99,700 | £60,800 | 1.64 | £392 |
| 9 | North West | Egremont | £139,500 | £69,200 | 2.02 | £549 |
| 24 | North West | Maryport | £158,300 | £69,200 | 2.29 | £623 |
| 25 | North West | Whitehaven | £158,450 | £69,200 | 2.29 | £624 |
| 4 | Scotland | Cumnock | £113,600 | £67,700 | 1.68 | £447 |
| 5 | Scotland | Irvine | £120,900 | £70,900 | 1.7 | £476 |
| 11 | Scotland | Glenrothes | £141,900 | £66,400 | 2.14 | £558 |
| 287 | South East | Dover | £280,300 | £68,900 | 4.07 | £1,103 |
| 293 | South East | Gosport | £287,200 | £70,100 | 4.1 | £1,130 |
| 328 | South East | Sheerness | £293,100 | £68,800 | 4.26 | £1,154 |
| 208 | South West | Cinderford | £272,250 | £74,800 | 3.64 | £1,071 |
| 261 | South West | Mitcheldean | £296,400 | £74,800 | 3.96 | £1,166 |
| 263 | South West | Coleford | £296,950 | £74,800 | 3.97 | £1,169 |
| 6 | Wales | Ferndale | £113,000 | £61,000 | 1.85 | £445 |
| 13 | Wales | Abertillery | £136,200 | £62,900 | 2.17 | £536 |
| 14 | Wales | Treorchy | £132,900 | £61,000 | 2.18 | £523 |
| 162 | W Mids | Telford | £215,300 | £64,300 | 3.35 | £847 |
| 166 | W Mids | Rugby | £286,900 | £85,500 | 3.35 | £1,129 |
| 177 | W Mids | Newcastle | £220,300 | £63,800 | 3.45 | £867 |
| 62 | Yorks & H | Immingham | £157,700 | £59,100 | 2.67 | £621 |
| 64 | Yorks & H | Scunthorpe | £165,700 | £61,400 | 2.7 | £652 |
| 66 | Yorks & H | Grimsby | £160,000 | £59,100 | 2.71 | £630 |
