this is the salary you need to buy a house in every london borough — and it's bleak

Ever wondered how much you’d need to earn to buy a house in every London borough? (Picture: Getty Images)

Once upon a time,London was a city where buying a home felt possible – even for the average worker.

In 1986,the typical house price in the Big Smoke was £55,000,and as Peter Apps writes in his new book,Homesick,it was normal for people on a fairly average income,like builders and nurses,to buy their own homes.

Fast forward to 2026,and homes in the capital cost more like £660,975,and 30.1% of properties are comprised of private rentals – the highest percentage since 1971.

It’s safe to say that times have firmly changed,creating a bleak picture for many lifelong Londoners who just want their own four walls to call home.

Data from Zoopla,shared exclusively with Metro, reveals just how much you’d need to earn to buy a house in each London borough – and the situation is as dire as you’d think.

How much do you need to earn to buy a house in London

Bougie Kensington and Chelsea is the priciest,requiring a gross yearly salary of £199,300. The current average house price here is £1,120,900 – which is,very obviously,out of reach for most.

Naturally,this towers over the UK average salary (£37,430,according to the Office for National Statistics),marking a staggering difference of £161,870. Ouch.

Things aren’t much better in Westminster,which has the second-highest salary requirements at £166,600,compared with a typical house price of £936,900.

The statistics are based on a deposit amounting to 20% of the property value,plus a mortgage loan amounting to 4.5 times the buyer’s household earnings (which is the average income multiple used by most lenders).

These figures can be either joint or individual,so if you were buying alone,you’d need to be solely responsible for these earnings. However,if you were buying with a partner (or even a friend),you’d be splitting the costs,with the figures representing what you’d need to earn collectively.

But what about the most ‘affordable’ end of the spectrum?

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This article was first published on September 5,2025.

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