The seaside towns where house prices are rising the most – and where they’re cheapest

Asking prices on homes in some seaside towns are bucking the British trend and showing up to double digit growth, according to new research.

Rightmove has revealed the British coastal towns where property asking prices rose the most in the 12 months to May 2026.

Asking prices went up the most in Bootle, Merseyside, rising by 11% to £141,680, the property portal’s data shows.

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In family-friendly Crosby, which is less than 20 minutes away by car, prices increased by 9% to £330,900.

On the other side of the River Mersey, asking prices in Wallasey, home to popular seaside destination Marine Point, rose by 7% to £200,753.

The list also featured five Welsh coastal towns, including Penarth, South Glamorgan, where asking prices jumped by 8% to £433,081 in the year to May 2026.

In Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan, asking prices rose by 8% to £340,033.

Asking prices rose by 7% in Llanelli, in Carmarthenshire (to £201,570), and Bangor, in Gwynedd (£220,622). They increased by 6% in Porthcawl, South Glamorgan, to £359,412.

Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, saw asking prices rise by 6% in the year to May 2026 to £185,169.

One Scottish town made the top 10 list – Helensburgh in Dunbartonshire recorded average asking price growth of 6% to £247,953.

Mary-Lou Press, president of trade body NAEA Propertymark (National Association of Estate Agents), said: “Many of the fastest-growing seaside markets remain relatively affordable, especially in parts of the North West and Wales. For many buyers, these areas can offer a balance of lifestyle, space and value.

“We’re continuing to see demand driven by flexible working and buyers reassessing where they want to live, but consumers should look beyond headline price growth and also consider factors such as transport links, local jobs, flood risk and ongoing housing costs.”

Source: Rightmove, analysis of more than 100 coastal towns, comparing year-on-year change in May 2026

The cheapest seaside towns to buy a home

Rightmove also analysed the 10 overall cheapest seaside towns to buy a home, with asking prices starting from just £120,000, well below the UK average.

All of the hotspots are based in the north of England or Scotland, including Peterlee in County Durham where the average asking price is £120,657.

Asking prices in the port town of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, are just £133,706 on average.

Head a couple of hundred miles north and you’ll find Ashington, where the average property asking price is £133,775.

Bootle, despite being a town where house prices have risen the most in the last year, is still one of the cheapest places to buy a home on the coast (£141,680).

Blackpool and Fleetwood, both in Lancashire, also featured in the top 10 cheapest seaside hotspots. The average asking prices are well below the UK average house price, at £142,277 and £147,910, respectively.

Seaham, County Durham (£157,994) and Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland (£157,754) also made the top 10 list.

Source: Rightmove, analysis of more than 100 coastal towns, comparing year-on-year change in May 2026

The most expensive seaside towns to buy a home

The 10 most expensive coastal towns to buy a home are all found in the south of England.

Topping the list is Sandbanks, in Poole. The average property asking price there is £1,119,945, according to Rightmove.

Canford Cliffs, less than two miles up the coast, is the second most expensive place to buy a home near the sea (£1,045,533).

Lymington, Hampshire, also made it on to the list of most expensive coastal spots. Buyers here are looking at an average asking price of £545,926, well above the UK average.

Barton on Sea, in Hampshire (average asking price of £496,143), Lyme Regis, in Dorset (£474,417), and St. Ives, in Cornwall (£461,959), are also on the pricier end of the spectrum.

Source: Rightmove, analysis of more than 100 coastal towns, comparing year-on-year change in May 2026