The UK's 20 least affordable cities

Lloyds Bank has ranked the least affordable cities in the UK as part of its annual Affordable Cities Review.

The research revealed that home affordability is "at its worst since 2008," with the average city price of a house outpacing earnings growth over the past five years.

Lloyds Bank worked out house prices as a multiple

of average annual earnings. So the average city house price in the UK is £224,926 this year, a 6.9 multiple of average earnings of £32,796.

"City living is becoming increasingly expensive with average house prices at least ten times average annual earnings in five of the UK’s cities," said Andy Mason, Lloyds Bank Mortgage Products Director.

"Affordability levels have worsened for four consecutive years as average city house prices continue to rise more steeply than average wage growth."

Here are the 20 least affordable cities to live in the UK.

20. Gloucester

House prices here are 7.2 times higher than the average salary.

19. Leicester

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 7.6

18. York

York Minster and walls

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 7.6

17. Exeter

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 7.9

16. Chelmsford

Chelmsford's houses rose by the third highest percentage of any UK city over the past decade, with growth of 54%.

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 7.9

15. Norwich

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 8.2

14. Truro

Levant mine in Cornwall (Tony Eadie/Caters)

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 8.2

13. Lichfield

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 8.3

12. Bristol

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 8.7

11. St Albans

St Albans Cathedral is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain

The city recorded the biggest price rise of any UK city over the past decade, growing by 65% between 2007 and 2017.

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 8.7

10. Canterbury

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 8.7

9. Salisbury

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 9.2

8. Southampton

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 9.2

7. Bath

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 9.3

6. Brighton and Hove

Diet-related disease in Brighton and Hove is said to cost the NHS £80m a year (Getty)

Brighton & Hove's house prices rose by 46% over the past 10 years.

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 9.6

5. Chichester

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 10.0

4. Cambridge

Over the past decade, the city's house prices have risen by 46%.

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 10.3

3. Winchester

(Alamy)

Winchester's house prices rose by 59% over the past decade.

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 10.5

2. Greater London

Over the past five years, London has recorded the highest house price growth, with a rise of 57%.

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 10.5

1. Oxford

The average house price in Oxford is £385,372, nearly 11 times the annual gross average earnings in the city of £36,033.

House prices as a multiple of earnings: 10.7

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