Revealed: The 10 UK locations which could see the biggest house price growth in 2026

The 10 locations where UK house prices are predicted to rise the most in 2026 have been revealed – and one nation has stolen the spotlight.

The latest research by Zoopla shows nine hotspots in Scotland are expected to see a house price surge in 2026 and will record the greatest growth this year, with just one location outside the country making the top 10 list.

The property portal assessed how affordable homes are, how quickly they are selling, whether prices are being cut to attract demand and how many properties have been on the market for longer than six months.

Try 6 free issues of MoneyWeek today

Get unparalleled financial insight, analysis and expert opinion you can profit from.

Start your trial

Sign up for MoneyWeek’s free twice-daily newsletter.

Join more than 165,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with latest financial news, insights and expert analysis to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.

Join more than 165,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with latest financial news, insights and expert analysis to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.

Sign up

These factors were assessed across 120 UK postal areas to create an overall ranking of the places with the best prospects for house price growth in 2026.

Scotland to lead the way for house price growth

Motherwell is forecast to record the strongest house price growth in 2026 after experiencing 3.4% year-on-year growth in 2025.

Glasgow, Paisley and Falkirk are second, third and fourth on the UK top 10 list, after seeing growth of 3%, 3.4% and 4.2%, respectively, last year.

Edinburgh, Perth and Inverness are also on Zoopla’s top 10 list. Wigan, which saw house prices rise by 3% in 2025, is the only location outside Scotland in the top 10 list.

Zoopla said one major reason it is expecting property prices to rise significantly in these areas is due to the abundance of stock on offer. This will lead to fewer asking price reductions, it said.

Meanwhile, the average current house price across all 10 locations forecast to show the strongest price growth in 2026 is under £252,000, lower than the £269,862 UK average, based on Land Registry data. A lower starting point leaves house prices greater room to grow.

Credit: Zoopla

Where will house prices rise the most in England and Wales?

Wigan is the English location where Zoopla expects property prices to grow the most this year.

Then follows Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton. All four of these areas saw average house prices rise by at least 2.8% in 2025.

The North West dominates the top 10 list of locations where Zoopla thinks prices will rise the most in England in 2025 – six locations from the region feature on the list.

The other four areas are based in the Midlands and North East of England.

Meanwhile, areas in southern England and London have the lowest prospects for house price growth, according to Zoopla.

All 10 bottom-ranked locations were in the South East, South West and London.

West Central London is expected to see the lowest rise in house prices across the 120 postal areas Zoopla ranked, after showing a 1.8% drop in 2025.

West London, East Central London and South West London were the next lowest-ranked locations.

Zoopla said it is expecting house price growth across southern England in 2026 to be subdued, with buyers remaining price sensitive despite a greater supply of homes.

Across Wales, Zoopla is predicting house prices will rise the most in the capital Cardiff, where prices went up by 2.1% last year.

Newport and Shrewsbury are also expected to record strong growth, as well as Llandudno, Swansea and Llandrindod Wells.

Credit: Zoopla