Six out of ten York residents can’t afford to buy a home in the city.
And that makes it the least affordable place to buy a house outside London.
New research by Zoopla revealed that across the UK, 40% of working households cannot afford an average-priced two or three bed home with an 80% loan-to-value mortgage.
But in York the situation is far worse. It tops the league of the hardest cities to buy a house in Britain, with the exception of London.
In York 61% of workers are unable to buy a two or three-bed home.
It is followed by 57% in Trafford, Greater Manchester, 46% in Leicester and 45% in Edinburgh.
In London, 74% of workers are unable to afford to buy an average-priced two or three bed home.
Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: “The more people that are priced out of buying, the greater the pressure on the rental sector where rents have risen faster than house prices since the pandemic.”
According to separate research by his firm, the average rent per month in York is now £1,106 – a 6.1% increase in annual rental growth.
That’s higher than the national average 5.4% increase.
Mr Donnell added: “Our analysis has important implications for the type and tenure of homes that need to be built over the next five years.
“The narrative on home building needs to move beyond headline numbers and focus on the types and tenures of new homes that are needed to support economic growth and improve access to home ownership.
“There is no simple one size fits all approach, the types of homes that are needed vary across the country. Increasing the number of social and private rented homes that are built is a key pillar in easing pressures across the housing market.”