Homes aren't getting cheaper. That's the official verdict from the Office for National Statistics after it examined prices and wages across the country.
On average, you needed to pay 7.8 times your annual salary to buy a home in 2018 - the same as the year before.
Nigel Henretty, head of housing analysis at the ONS, said: "After five years of decreases, the estimated affordability of homes in England and Wales remained static in 2018."
But while average prices across the country are static, the gap between the most and least affordable places has become bigger than the ONS has seen in its 20 years of measuring.
Commenting on the figures, Andrew Montlake, director of mortgage broker Coreco, said: "While getting a foot on the ladder in certain regions of the UK is eminently achievable, in others it is borderline impossible for a significant chunk of the population.
"It's no surprise that we are seeing such a fundamental shift towards the private rented sector."
Where homes are easiest to buy
Copeland in Cumbria remained the most affordable local authority in England and Wales, with average house prices being 2.5 times average workplace-based annual earnings.
Cumbria's Barrow-in-Furness was next on the list, with prices of 3.53 times local earnings, followed by Blaenau Gwent (3.59 times earnings) and Neath Port Talbot (3.6 times earnings) in Wales and Pendle in Lancashire (3.65 times earnings).
Overall, homes in the North East were most affordable. But while it was cheapest on average, there were areas in Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, West Midlands and North West that were relatively cheaper than anywhere in the North East.
London had the largest range of affordability, but even its cheapest region (Tower Hamlets) had worse affordability than anywhere in the North West, Wales or North East.
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The 10 most affordable areas in 2018
- Copeland - 2.5 times local earnings
- Barrow-in-Furness - 3.53 times local earnings
- Blaenau Gwent - 3.59 times local earnings
- Neath Port Talbot - 3.6 times local earnings
- Pendle - 3.65 times local earnings
- Merthyr Tydfil - 3.78 times local earnings
- Burnley - 3.99 times local earnings
- Knowsley - 4.11 times local earnings
- Derby - 4.26 times local earnings
- Hyndburn - 4.35 times local earnings
The least affordable places in England and Wales
Kensington and Chelsea in London remained the least affordable local authority in 2018 - with average house prices equating to a huge 44.5 times workplace-based average annual earnings.
Overall, eight of the 10 least affordable areas were in London, with the other two in South East England.
St Albans was the least affordable place outside London and the South East at 16.81 times local earnings, it was the 12 most expensive place overall.
The ONS found 77 local authorities have become less affordable over the past five years, mostly in London, the South East and the East of England.
There were no local authorities where affordability has improved over the past five years.
There are signs that housing affordability in London has improved over the past year - but this is against a backdrop of worsening affordability over the previous two decades, the report said.
Polly Neate, chief executive at Shelter, said more families "desperately need" the option of social housing.
She said: "Today's figures leave us in no doubt that owning a home is an all-but-impossible dream for millions of working families."
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10 least affordable local authorities:
- Kensington and Chelsea - 44.51 times local earnings
- Westminster - 24.41 times local earnings
- Camden - 19.41 times local earnings
- Hammersmith and Fulham - 19.4 times local earnings
- Richmond upon Thames - 18.79 times local earnings
- Chiltern - 18.57 times local earnings
- South Bucks - 18.36 times local earnings
- Wandsworth - 18.11 times local earnings
- Haringey - 17.62 times local earnings
- Barnet - 17.34 times local earnings
