Where House Prices Have Risen Most Since 2020, and Where They Have Fallen
House price change since 2020 for every local authority in England and Wales: the biggest rises, the smallest, regional totals and what a rise means for buyers.
If you bought a home in Oldham in 2020, it is probably worth about half as much again today. If you bought in central London, it may be worth less than you paid. Between 2020 and the 12 months to July 2026 the average price in England and Wales rose 22%, from £234,047 to £286,381, but that national figure covers rises of more than 50% in parts of Greater Manchester and falls in seven London boroughs.
The pattern is consistent: the biggest percentage rises were in places that started cheap, mostly in the North West, Wales and the old industrial towns of the North and Midlands. The smallest were in London and the expensive commuter areas around it. Here is how every local authority compares, and what a rise does and does not tell you if you are buying now.
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The biggest rises since 2020
Ten local authorities saw their average house price rise by more than 43% between 2020 and the 12 months to July 2026. Oldham and Rochdale led, both up by about half, followed by Blaenau Gwent, Bolsover and Rhondda Cynon Taf. The chart shows the top ten, and the table below extends the list to 20, with the average price in each period.
Rise in average house price, 2020 to the 12 months to July 2026 (%)
| Rank | Local authority | Region | Average price, 2020 | Average price now | Rise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oldham | North West | £139,882 | £212,890 | 52.2% |
| 2 | Rochdale | North West | £138,156 | £208,130 | 50.6% |
| 3 | Blaenau Gwent | Wales | £94,933 | £139,791 | 47.3% |
| 4 | Bolsover | East Midlands | £126,318 | £184,806 | 46.3% |
| 5 | Rhondda Cynon Taf | Wales | £111,096 | £162,007 | 45.8% |
| 6 | Halton | North West | £133,803 | £194,907 | 45.7% |
| 7 | St Helens | North West | £125,073 | £181,935 | 45.5% |
| 8 | Salford | North West | £158,147 | £229,776 | 45.3% |
| 9 | Bolton | North West | £138,155 | £200,205 | 44.9% |
| 10 | Liverpool | North West | £126,842 | £181,637 | 43.2% |
| 11 | Tameside | North West | £148,311 | £212,235 | 43.1% |
| 12 | Wigan | North West | £134,273 | £191,539 | 42.6% |
| 13 | Hyndburn | North West | £96,538 | £137,596 | 42.5% |
| 14 | Burnley | North West | £92,500 | £131,612 | 42.3% |
| 15 | Knowsley | North West | £133,562 | £190,109 | 42.3% |
| 16 | Sandwell | West Midlands | £146,924 | £208,175 | 41.7% |
| 17 | Neath Port Talbot | Wales | £114,217 | £161,632 | 41.5% |
| 18 | Manchester | North West | £178,157 | £251,205 | 41.0% |
| 19 | Merthyr Tydfil | Wales | £105,748 | £149,087 | 41.0% |
| 20 | Blackburn with Darwen | North West | £114,388 | £161,032 | 40.8% |
UK House Price Index average price: the average of the 12 monthly figures for 2020, against the average for August 2025 to July 2026.
Fourteen of the 20 biggest rises were in the North West, and most of the rest were in the south Wales valleys. Greater Manchester stands out: Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Bolton, Tameside, Wigan and Manchester itself all rose by more than 40%. In 73 of the 316 local authorities we compared, the average price rose by 30% or more.
What these places share is a low starting price. Every authority in the top 20 started 2020 below the England and Wales average, most of them far below it. Burnley’s average was £92,500 and Blaenau Gwent’s under £95,000. A rise of £39,000 to £45,000, which is what those two saw, is a very large percentage of a small number.
The smallest rises, and the falls
At the other end of the table, prices barely moved or fell in much of inner London. These are the 12 local authorities where the average price changed least.
| Local authority | Region | Average price, 2020 | Average price now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Westminster | London | £1,022,381 | £932,605 | -8.8% |
| Tower Hamlets | London | £511,605 | £474,233 | -7.3% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | London | £1,428,848 | £1,327,221 | -7.1% |
| Lambeth | London | £563,966 | £551,710 | -2.2% |
| Southwark | London | £590,758 | £583,378 | -1.2% |
| Wandsworth | London | £700,042 | £696,379 | -0.5% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | London | £752,941 | £751,998 | -0.1% |
| Camden | London | £825,590 | £837,421 | 1.4% |
| Newham | London | £390,534 | £401,602 | 2.8% |
| Hackney | London | £602,661 | £623,478 | 3.5% |
| Croydon | London | £379,845 | £394,758 | 3.9% |
| Cambridge | East of England | £453,362 | £475,300 | 4.8% |
The 12 local authorities with the smallest change. UK House Price Index average price, 2020 against August 2025 to July 2026.
Average prices fell in seven London boroughs, all of them in or close to central London, and rose by less than 5% in five more. Flats make up 69% to 90% of sales in the seven boroughs where prices fell, and flats are the one type of home whose typical price has fallen across England since 2020: the median flat sold for £232,500 in 2020 and £225,000 in the 12 months to August 2026, while the median semi-detached house rose from £232,500 to £280,000.
Outside London, Cambridge had by far the smallest rise, at under 5%. The next smallest were in the South East and around London: Woking (7.8%), Winchester (8.3%), Canterbury (8.8%) and Tandridge (9.1%).
Region by region
Average prices rose in every region of England and in Wales, but by very different amounts. The North West rose most, by 36%, more than five times London’s 7%. The chart ranks the nine English regions and Wales, and the table adds the average price in each period.
Rise in average house price by region, 2020 to the 12 months to July 2026 (%)
| Region | Average price, 2020 | Average price now | Rise |
|---|---|---|---|
| North West | £158,971 | £216,724 | 36.3% |
| Wales | £160,432 | £212,428 | 32.4% |
| North East | £123,917 | £162,432 | 31.1% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £159,281 | £207,197 | 30.1% |
| West Midlands | £195,165 | £248,659 | 27.4% |
| East Midlands | £192,311 | £241,278 | 25.5% |
| South West | £254,572 | £302,327 | 18.8% |
| East of England | £291,010 | £336,813 | 15.7% |
| South East | £329,555 | £380,026 | 15.3% |
| London | £517,773 | £553,897 | 7.0% |
| England and Wales | £234,047 | £286,381 | 22.4% |
The regions split neatly in two. Everywhere north of a line from the Severn to the Wash, plus Wales, rose by a quarter or more. The South West, East of England, South East and London rose by less than a fifth. The North West’s average overtook Wales’s and pulled well clear of Yorkshire and The Humber, having been level with both in 2020.
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The big cities
Among the big cities, the fastest rises were in the North West: Liverpool and Manchester both rose by more than 40%. Oxford and Cambridge, the most expensive cities in the table, rose least.
| City | Average price, 2020 | Average price now | Rise | Rank of 316 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | £126,842 | £181,637 | 43.2% | 10 |
| Manchester | £178,157 | £251,205 | 41.0% | 18 |
| Bradford | £132,935 | £185,379 | 39.5% | 25 |
| Sheffield | £165,564 | £219,222 | 32.4% | 55 |
| Leeds | £188,331 | £244,464 | 29.8% | 77 |
| Nottingham | £148,791 | £192,813 | 29.6% | 79 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | £158,735 | £204,282 | 28.7% | 89 |
| Cardiff | £212,454 | £270,053 | 27.1% | 100 |
| Leicester | £182,732 | £230,703 | 26.3% | 106 |
| Birmingham | £185,538 | £232,548 | 25.3% | 110 |
| Bristol | £292,057 | £350,147 | 19.9% | 170 |
| Oxford | £435,777 | £483,054 | 10.8% | 285 |
| Cambridge | £453,362 | £475,300 | 4.8% | 305 |
Manchester added more in cash than any other city in the table: its average rose by about £73,000, more than Bristol’s £58,000, from a starting price £114,000 lower. For local detail, see our guides to house prices in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham.
Percentages and pounds tell different stories
The biggest cash rises were not where the biggest percentage rises were. Elmbridge in Surrey added about £93,000 to its average, the most of any local authority, but that was a 15% rise. Sevenoaks and Windsor and Maidenhead each added about £87,000, a rise of under 20%. Trafford, the most expensive part of Greater Manchester, did both: up 28% and about £83,000.
Oldham’s average rose by £73,000, which bought a lot more there. Its average is still under £215,000, well below the England and Wales average of £286,381.
A fast rise since 2020 does not make an area expensive. Most of the places that rose most are still among the cheaper places to buy in England and Wales.
What a rise means if you are buying now
- It is not a forecast. Prices that rose quickly from 2020 to 2022 can level off, as they have in many areas since. A past rise says nothing reliable about the next five years.
- It changes the deposit maths, not the area. If you are moving from a fast-rising area, your equity has grown faster than average. If you are a first-time buyer there, you need a bigger deposit than in 2020.
- Area averages hide local markets. A local authority covers many neighbourhoods, and prices in them can move differently. Use the local-authority pages above to compare the areas within each one.
- Look at the price, not just the change. Burnley and Blaenau Gwent rose more than 40% and still have averages below £140,000. Check what homes like the one you want sold for on the streets you are considering.
If you are looking at the North or Midlands for a family move, our guides to Sheffield family areas and the safest areas in the West Midlands show what the money buys at neighbourhood level.
FAQs
Where have house prices risen most since 2020?
Oldham, where the average price rose 52%, from £139,882 in 2020 to £212,890 in the 12 months to July 2026. Rochdale (51%), Blaenau Gwent (47%), Bolsover (46%) and Rhondda Cynon Taf (46%) were next. Fourteen of the 20 biggest rises were in the North West.
How much have house prices risen in England and Wales since 2020?
The average price in England and Wales rose 22%, from £234,047 in 2020 to £286,381 in the 12 months to July 2026, according to the UK House Price Index. England rose 22% and Wales 32%.
Have house prices fallen anywhere since 2020?
Yes, in seven London boroughs: Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth, and Hammersmith and Fulham. Westminster’s average fell 9%. London as a whole rose 7%, the smallest rise of any region.
Are these figures adjusted for inflation?
No. They are cash prices. General prices also rose over the period, so a small rise in house prices can still mean homes are cheaper in real terms than in 2020.
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Methodology & Sources
We compare the UK House Price Index (HPI) average price for each local authority in 2020, the average of its 12 monthly figures, with the average of the latest 12 published months, August 2025 to July 2026. The HPI is published by HM Land Registry and the Office for National Statistics. It adjusts for the mix of homes sold, so a month in which more detached houses sell does not look like a price rise.
We use the index rather than the median of recorded sales because sales in 2020 leaned towards larger homes, and the most recent months are still being registered. On a simple median of standard sales, England’s typical price rose only 12%, from £263,000 in 2020 to £295,000 in the 12 months to August 2026, mostly because of that change in what sold.
We rank the 316 local authorities with at least 300 standard sales in both 2020 and the 12 months to August 2026 in HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. The City of London and the Isles of Scilly are left out. Figures are not adjusted for inflation, and an area average is not a valuation of any particular home.