Britain’s most expensive seaside town revealed

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House prices in British seaside towns have increased, on average, by a quarter over the past decade, according to the latest Halifax Seaside Town Review.

During the last 10 years, the average house price in Britain’s seaside towns rose by 25 per cent  from £181,060 in 2007 to £226,916 in 2017 – the equivalent to an average increase of £382 per month.

However, there is a marked north-south divide in property values in seaside towns, with nine out of 10 of the most expensive seaside towns on the southern coast of England.

Sandbanks in Poole remains Britain’s most expensive seaside town for the second consecutive year, where the average price of a home is £664,051, followed by Salcombe in South Devon (£617,743) and Aldeburgh in East Anglia (£526,689). Salcombe was the most expensive seaside town in 2015. (See Table 1)

Outside southern England, the most expensive seaside areas are the Scottish towns of North Berwick (£314,435) and St Andrews (£300,319), together with The Mumbles in South Wales (£284,804).

Martin Ellis, Halifax housing economist, said: “Seaside towns are extremely popular places to live, offering sought-after views and desirable weather.  Being by the sea side does come at a price – with the marked increase in house prices reflecting the demand for rooms with a ‘sea’ view.

“Over the past decade, house prices in the South East, especially coastal towns within commutable distance to London, have shown strong growth and have become Britain’s most expensive seaside towns.

“However, the strongest performing coastal towns in terms of growth have been in north of the border in Scotland, where property prices on the Aberdeenshire coastline have been helped by the oil industry more than the sunshine.”