The West Midlands town named the most affordable for families to buy a home has been unveiled by Zoopla - full details here

Zoopla has carried out research to discover the most affordable town for families to buy a home in across the UK, including the West Midlands.

While none of our local towns in the West Midlands have made it into the most affordable list across the UK, Zoopla has singled out one urban area in our region which is more affordable than any other for family properties in 2026.

The property website found its results by comparing average prices for three-bedroom homes with estimated earnings for couples working full-time.

Towns in northern England, Scotland and Wales dominated the top of the affordability rankings across the UK, which were based on 300 towns that are popular with people looking to buy family-sized homes.

Shildon, Co Durham, topped the list with an average house price-to-earnings ratio of 1.36.

In Wales, Ferndale in the Rhondda Valley was named as the most affordable town for families, with homes there costing around 1.85 times earnings.

In Scotland, Cumnock in East Ayrshire was placed top, with three-bedroom homes costing around 1.68 times dual wages.

See section below for the most affordable town in the West Midlands.

Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: “The housing market is entering one of its busiest periods, with the most homes for sale in many years and at a time when buyers are becoming increasingly focused on value for money.

“What stands out is the scale of the affordability gap across the UK. In parts of the North East, families can buy a home for much less than the cost of buying in the most affordable towns in southern England.

“While there are affordable options in every region, buyers often face a trade-off between lower house prices and their proximity to major employment centres.

“Many of the most affordable towns in southern England are coastal, meaning better affordability may come at the cost of more expensive travel which may not work for everyone.”

Mortgage rates have jumped in recent weeks as the conflict in the Middle East has affected financial markets and prompted expectations that inflation in the months ahead could be higher than previously expected.

Most affordable towns for family properties across the UK

Here are the 10 most affordable towns in Zoopla’s analysis, ranked in order of the house-price to earnings ratio, with the average value of a three-bedroom home followed by the average house price-to-earnings ratio for families:

1. Shildon, North East, £82,500, 1.36

2. Peterlee, North East, £98,750, 1.62

3. Ferryhill, North East, £99,700, 1.64

4. Cumnock, Scotland, £113,600, 1.68

5. Irvine, Scotland, £120,900, 1.70

6. Ferndale, Wales, £113,000, 1.85

7. Stanley, North East, £114,450, 1.88

8. Crook, North East, £118,100, 1.94

9. Egremont, North West, £139,500, 2.02

10. Ashington, North East, £130,800, 2.10

The most affordable town for family properties in the West Midlands and other regions

Here are the most affordable towns in each nation or region according to Zoopla’s analysis, with the average value of a three-bedroom home followed by the average house price-to-earnings ratio for families:

– North East, Shildon, £82,500, 1.36

– Scotland, Cumnock, £113,600, 1.68

– Wales, Ferndale, £113,000, 1.85

– North West, Egremont, £139,500, 2.02

– Yorkshire and the Humber, Immingham, £157,700, 2.67

– East Midlands, Gainsborough, £175,300, 2.79

– West Midlands, Telford, £215,300, 3.35

– South West, Cinderford, £272,250, 3.64

– Eastern England, Lowestoft, £234,800, 3.79

– South East, Dover, £280,300, 4.07

Did you know…

Zoopla carried out this research last year and Willenhall was named the most affordable town for families to buy a property in 2025.

The average price of a three bedroomed semi last year in Willenhall was £225,100 - so homes in Telford are almost £10,000 cheaper in 2026 than this average.