Most expensive area priced over nine times higher than the cheapest one
Sandbanks in Poole, Dorset remains the most expensive coastal location in Great Britain, according to new data from Rightmove.
The area’s average asking price is £1,282,565 — more than triple the UK average of £378,240. Among all coastal locations, Sandbanks is now the only area where asking prices exceed £1 million.
Canford Cliffs, also in Poole, ranks second with an average price of £974,635. Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire follows at £728,460.
Rightmove’s analysis shows that across the top 50 most expensive seaside areas, average asking prices dipped by 1% year-on-year. However, buyer interest rose by 8% over the same period.
Other most expensive coastal spots include Lymington (£639,316) in Hampshire; Budleigh Salterton (£535,761), Dartmouth (£500,006), and Sidmouth in Devon (£494,811); St. Ives (£507,139) in Cornwall; and Whitstable (£469,586), and Hythe (£466,898) in Kent. Price changes across these towns ranged from a 9% drop in Canford Cliffs to a 4% rise in Dartmouth.
In contrast, Saltcoats in Ayrshire, Scotland is the most affordable seaside town, with homes listed at an average of £122,208. Peterlee in County Durham is close behind at £122,246, followed by Ashington in Northumberland at £135,050.
Saltcoats also recorded the strongest annual price growth, up 13% from last year. Its average asking price is more than £250,000 below the national average.
Other affordable coastal areas include Bootle (£135,208), and Birkenhead (£149,527) in Merseyside; Grimsby (£142,072) in Lincolnshire, Blackpool (£142,804), and Fleetwood (£148,101) in Lancashire; Blyth (£153,487) in Northumberland; and Workington (£158,956) in Cumbria. Most of these towns saw modest price increases, while some remained flat year-on-year.
“Sandbanks now stands out as the only seaside spot with an average asking price of over the million-pound mark,” said Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove. “By contrast, lower-priced seaside spots like Saltcoats and Peterlee 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.”
According to Mary Lou-Press, president of industry body NAEA Propertymark, changing social and economic conditions have influenced housing preferences.
“Seaside locations are desirable for many people of all demographics, and with popularity comes heightened house prices, which can price many locals out of the housing market,” she said.
“Considering that the average house price of coastal homes has only slightly dipped, and buyer demand has increased, ongoing economic turbulence doesn’t seem to have overly affected the market or dented the confidence of buyers of coastal locations.”
Want to be regularly updated with mortgage news and features? Get exclusive interviews, breaking news, and industry events in your inbox – subscribe to our FREE daily newsletter. You can also follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
