What a town’s average house price really tells you

What is the difference between a median and a mean?

The median is the middle value after prices are sorted. The mean is the sum divided by the number of values. People often use “average” without saying which one they mean; Kerbside’s main sold-price comparison uses the median.

Take five hypothetical sales: £200,000, £220,000, £240,000, £260,000 and £800,000. The median is £240,000. The mean is £344,000. Neither is a quote for the next home on the market. The expensive sale pulls the mean upwards, while the median stays at the middle transaction.

Compare the price and the sample together

Scroll sideways to see all columns.

HM Land Registry: 12 months to July 2026. Figures come from the same Kerbside release as the linked comparison; this is an illustration, not a recommendation between the towns.

Explore the full comparison and its inclusion rules

Kerbside includes towns with at least 20 recorded sales in the comparison period. That threshold avoids presenting very small samples as equivalent to larger ones, but 20 sales do not guarantee a representative mix of every property type. Look at the actual volume and then open the town guide.

A cheaper median may mean a different mix of homes

Suppose one town’s sales are mostly flats and another’s are mostly detached houses. Their overall medians can differ even when similar flats cost much the same in both places. This is a hypothetical explanation of a mix effect, not a claim about the two towns above.

For a practical shortlist, compare the type of home you need and inspect the available property-type figures. Then examine suitably similar individual properties. Floor area, condition, tenure, position and other differences can matter within the same broad type; the town median does not adjust for all of them.

Sold prices, asking prices and registration dates differ

HM Land Registry’s data records transactions submitted for registration. It is not a list of today’s asking prices. The latest months can be incomplete because registration follows a sale, and later updates can change the available records. HM Land Registry’s Price Paid Data guidance explains coverage, exclusions and updates.

A newly downloaded file can therefore describe older transactions. Keep the period represented beside the value, and do not compare a year of recorded sales with a current selection of listings as though they were the same measure. Neither a recent asking price nor a historic sale proves what a seller will accept today.

A low price is not the whole affordability question

Kerbside’s sold-price ranking orders eligible towns by median recorded price. It does not calculate what your household can afford, adjust for income or include your moving costs. Use it to identify places worth investigating, then apply your own budget and property requirements.

• Same definition: median or mean; sold or asking.
• Same period: matching observation windows, with any gaps stated.
• Enough evidence: sales count and relevant property types.
• Comparable homes: inspect individual examples, not only town totals.
• Open questions: record what the figures cannot resolve before deciding.

Combine the price evidence with your wider moving priorities. The point is to narrow the search to homes and places you can investigate properly, not to turn a ranking into a valuation.

Frequently asked questions

Continue researching your move

Start with the full guide to choosing where to live

• How to compare crime rates between towns
• How to check broadband before moving house

Data sources

Dates below distinguish the period represented by the data from when the source was collected and published here. How we use these sources