10 cheapest and most expensive seaside locations
- Saltcoats in Ayrshire is the cheapest seaside location in Great Britain with an average asking price just above £122,000
- Peterlee in County Durham and Ashington in Northumberland are also in the top 3 cheapest locations – all offering coastal living for less than half the national average house price on average
- Blackpool, with it’s famous landmark Tower, is also among the top 10 areas with average asking prices below £160,000
- At the expensive end, homes in Sandbanks in Poole command more than £1.2 million on average, with Canford Cliffs in Poole, and Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire, completing the luxury top 3 coastal trio
- Buyer demand for seaside homes is up +8% compared to last year, while prices across the top 50 most expensive coastal areas have dipped by 1%
As summer arrives and we start dreaming of long beach walks, fish and chips by the harbour, and waking up to sea views, we’ve taken a look at the seaside spots where the average cost of a home is well below the national average house price.
10 cheapest seaside locations
Leading the charge for affordable seaside living is Saltcoats in Ayrshire, Scotland, where the average asking price is £122,208 – that’s over £250,000 below the national average. This Scottish coastal town offers sandy beaches, stunning sunsets over the Firth of Clyde and excellent transport links to Glasgow. As well as being the most affordable area right now, Saltcoats is experiencing the fastest price growth of any coastal area, with the average asking price up +13% compared to last year.
Hot on Saltcoats’ heels is Peterlee in County Durham, where homes are also priced just above £122,000. Ashington in Northumberland has the third cheapest asking price, at £135,000. The seaside resort of Blackpool, famous for its iconic Tower and Pleasure Beach, is also in the top 10 list of cheapest seaside locations for home-buyers.
Our property expert, Colleen Babcock, says: “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.”
| Rank | Area | Average asking price | YOY price growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saltcoats, Ayrshire | £122,208 | +13% |
| 2 | Peterlee, County Durham | £122,246 | +6% |
| 3 | Ashington, Northumberland | £135,050 | +4% |
| 4 | Bootle, Merseyside | £135,208 | +3% |
| 5 | Grimsby, Lincolnshire | £142,072 | +0% |
| 6 | Blackpool, Lancashire | £142,804 | +0% |
| 7 | Fleetwood, Lancashire | £148,101 | +1% |
| 8 | Birkenhead, Merseyside | £149,527 | +2% |
| 9 | Blyth. Northumberland | £153,487 | +1% |
| 10 | Workington, Cumbria | £158,956 | +0% |
10 most expensive seaside locations
Sandbanks in Poole, Dorset, has claimed the crown as Britain’s most expensive seaside spot, with an average asking price of £1,282,565. This stretch of coast has long been coveted for its pristine beaches and stunning homes, which range from contemporary beach houses to grand waterfront estates. Sandbanks now stands alone as the only coastal area in Britain where average asking prices exceed the million-pound mark.
Canford Cliffs, also in Poole, takes second place, while Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire rounds out the top three. The average asking price in Sandbanks is more than 10 times higher than in Saltcoats, highlighting just how varied the coastal property market can be.
| Rank | Area | Average asking price | YOY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandbanks, Poole | £1,282,565 | -3% |
| 2 | Canford Cliffs, Poole | £974,635 | -9% |
| 3 | Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire | £728,46 | +1% |
| 4 | Lymington, Hampshire | £639,316 | -2% |
| 5 | Budleigh Salterton, Devon | £535,761 | +0% |
| 6 | St. Ives, Cornwall | £507,139 | -2% |
| 7 | Dartmouth, Devon | £500,006 | +4% |
| 8 | Sidmouth, Devon | £494,811 | -5% |
| 9 | Whitstable, Kent | £469,586 | -2% |
| 10 | Hythe, Kent | £466,898 | +0% |
What are the coastal housing market trends right now?
Buyer demand for seaside properties has increased by 8% compared to last year, with more people looking to make the move to coastal living. Interestingly, across the top 50 most expensive coastal areas, average asking prices have actually dropped by 1%.
The coastal property market offers a diverse range of property types and price ranges – from affordable starter homes with sea views to luxury waterfront estates. With buyer demand on the rise and some areas showing more competitive pricing, now could be the time to explore what seaside living could offer.
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READ MORE: Why have house prices fallen this month?
