Scots town named most affordable place for families to live in UK

Glenrothes in Scotland has been identified by a property website as Britain’s most popular affordable town for families.

Situated in the heart of Fife, and within commuting distance to Edinburgh, Glenrothes is nestled among beautiful landscapes.

Zoopla measured affordability by looking at the ratio of average three-bed house prices in locations, compared with average earnings in the local authority area.

Its popularity ranking was based on the average number of Zoopla listing views for a typical three-bed home in each area, with the research based on the first quarter of 2025.

The website also commissioned a survey of 2,000 people across the UK by Opinium in April, which found around a third (34%) of people fear being priced out of their ideal family home location.

Scotland and Wales dominated the list of the most popular towns in Zoopla’s top ten.

Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: “The willingness of many to consider different regions or compromise on property features further highlights the adaptive strategies families are employing in today’s market.”

– Here are the top ten most popular affordable locations for families in Britain, according to Zoopla, with the average price of a three-bedroom home, followed by the house price-to-earnings ratio:

Glenrothes, Scotland, £136,900, 1.8
Llanelli, Wales, £170,600, 2.3
Neath, Wales, £176,400, 2.4
Port Talbot, Wales, £160,300, 2.1
Wishaw, Scotland, £168,600, 2.1
Maesteg, Wales, £142,200, 2.0
Dartford, South East, £423,600, 4.7
Leven, Scotland, £164,600, 2.1
Larkhall, Scotland, £177,600, 2.2
Swanley, South East, £444,900, 4.7

– And here are the most popular locations in regions and nations across Britain for family homes, according to Zoopla, with the average price of a three-bedroom home followed by the house price-to-earnings ratio:

East Midlands, Sutton-in-Ashfield, £189,400, 2.8

Eastern England, Tilbury, £347,800, 4.1

North East, Bedlington, £154,800, 2.1

North West, Bootle, £142,900, 1.9

Scotland, Glenrothes, £136,900, 1.8

South East, Dartford, £423,600, 4.7

South West, Plymouth, £261,000, 3.7

Wales, Llanelli, £170,600, 2.3

West Midlands, Willenhall, £225,100, 3.3

Yorkshire and the Humber, Dewsbury, £192,000, 2.7

London, Barking and Dagenham, £440,300, 5.5