Salford is one of the most affordable cities in the UK to buy a property, according to analysis by one of the country's biggest mortgage lenders.
Overall. house prices in cities have surged by 10.3 percent in the last year with the average property now over eight times average earnings, according to the high street bank Halifax.
While the average city house price increased to £287,440, average earnings in these locations increased by only 2.1pc annually, to £35,677.
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That means the price-to-earnings ratio has increased in the majority of places in the UK.
However, Salford is one area that has bucked the trend.
It was one of just seven cities that are considered more affordable than a year ago.
Oxford, Carlisle, Portsmouth, Durham, Inverness and Glasgow are the only others.
The average property price in Salford in 2021 is £211,903, with average earnings £34,444 giving it a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.2, the joint 13th highest in the country.
Manchester does not appear on the list of the top 20 most or least affordable cities.
Overall, however, affordability of city living has worsened compared to 2020 the Halifax analysis shows.
Last year house prices in cities typically had cost around seven-and-a-half times wages.
After sitting at 5.6 from 2011 to 2013, the house price-to-earnings ratio in UK cities has increased for eight years in a row.
However, cities still tend to be marginally more affordable than the UK as a whole, which has a house price-to-earnings ratio of 8.5.
Wages in cities are often higher than in rural areas, and during the coronavirus pandemic, many city dwellers have relocated to the countryside, helping to push up house prices there.
Londonderry in Northern Ireland held its position as the UK’s most affordable city for the third year in a row, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.7.
Bradford and Carlise shared the title as the most affordable city in England.
Winchester was identified as the UK’s least affordable city, replacing previous table-topper Oxford, with homes now 14 times annual earnings for those living and working there.
London was outside the top five least affordable cities for the first time in six years.
Carlisle and Aberdeen are now more affordable than five years ago, with their house price-to-earnings ratios easing.
Inverness is the only city found to be more affordable than 10 years ago. An average home there costs 5.6 times average earnings, down from 6.2 in 2011, due to wage growth there outstripping house price growth.
Russell Galley, managing director, Halifax, said: “Affordability is significantly better in the north and there are now just two cities – Plymouth and Portsmouth – with better than average affordability in the south.”
Housing affordability improved in seven cities compared with a year earlier: Oxford, Carlisle, Portsmouth, Durham, Salford, Inverness and Glasgow.
The top 20 most affordable cities in 2021 (price-to-earnings ratio followed by the average house price and average annual earnings)
1. Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 4.7, £155,917, £33,138
=2. Carlisle, North, 4.8, £163,232, £34,087
=2. Bradford, Yorkshire and the Humber, 4.8, £164,410, £34,219
=4. Stirling, Scotland, 5.4, £208,927, £38,744
=4. Aberdeen, Scotland, 5.4, £205,199, £38,016
=4. Glasgow, Scotland, 5.4, £196,625, £36,205
7. Perth, Scotland, 5.5, £203,229, £36,700
=8. Inverness, Scotland, 5.6, £191,840, £34,373
=8. Hull, Yorkshire and the Humber, 5.6, £156,424, £27,730
10. Dundee, Scotland, 5.8, £181,150, £31,344
11. Sunderland, North, 6.0, £179,567, £29,745
12. Lisburn, Northern Ireland, 6.1, £203,386, £33,138
=13. Salford, North West, 6.2, £211,903, £34,444
=13. Durham, North, 6.2, £196,274, £31,762
=13. Liverpool, North West, 6.2, £215,741, £34,911
=13. Belfast, Northern Ireland, 6.2, £205,228, £33,138
=13. Lancaster, North West, 6.2, £217,392, £35,004
18. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North, 6.3, £229,434, £36,212
19. Stoke-on-Trent, West Midlands, 6.5, £200,161, £30,698
20. Hereford, West Midlands, 6.6, £316,929, £48,048
The top 20 least affordable cities
1. Winchester, South East, 14.0, £630,432, £45,059
2. Oxford, South East, 12.4, £486,928, £39,220
=3. Truro, South West, 12.1, £356,788, £29,558
=3. Bath, South West, 12.1, £476,470, £39,508
5. Chichester, South East, 10.6, £446,899, £37,352
6. Cambridge, East Anglia, 11.9, £482,300, £40,492
7. Brighton and Hove, South East, 11.6, £449,243, £38,737
8. London, South East, 11.0, £564,695, £51,257
=9. St Albans, South East, 10.2, £604,423, £59,391
=9. Chelmsford, South East, 10.2, £424,690, £41,781
11. Salisbury, South West, 10.0, £392,355, £39,154
12. Exeter, South West, 9.9, £323,554, £32,635
13. Leicester, East Midlands, 9.7, £279,080, £28,725
14. Norwich, East Anglia, 9.4, £306,946, £32,632
15. Bristol, South West, 9.3, £346,902, £37,357
=16. Southampton, South East, 9.0, £310,435, £34,429
=16. Canterbury, South East, 9.0, £365,168, £40,565
=16. Gloucester, South West, 9.0, £287,600, £31,987
19. Worcester, West Midlands, 8.8, £303,132, £34,389
20. Cardiff, Wales, 8.7, £276,851, £31,946
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