London saw the slowest house price growth of any British city over the past ten years, as sky-high prices stretched buyers to their limits. 

The capital's property market slump saw asking prices increase by just 7 per cent between 2016 and 2026 according to Rightmove, despite a brief boom during the pandemic. 

While the asking price of the typical home is still the most expensive in Britain at £687,080, it has only increased by £47,487 in the past ten years - prices stood at £639,593 in 2016.

The property website analysed millions of supply, demand and pricing data points to come up with the figures. 

In contrast to London's lacklustre performance, cities across the Midlands, Northern England and Wales saw bumper growth. 

Experts said this was because property prices were more affordable and barriers to getting on the housing ladder were lower. 

Both Wolverhampton and Manchester recorded 63 per cent property price growth between 2016 and 2026. 

In Wolverhampton, a typical home will set buyers back £229,094, compared to £140,548 in 2016. 

Meanwhile the average asking price for a home in Manchester is £261,891, up from £160,422 ten years ago.

Newport, Nottingham, Wakefield, Salford and Bradford all saw prices increase by more than 50 per cent, while Stoke-on-Trent, Doncaster and Swansea rounded out the top ten. 

Despite rapid price rises, all of the cities still have an asking price of less than £270,000 which is more than £100,000 cheaper than the UK-wide average. 

According to Rightmove, the average asking price across the country is now £376,191, down from a record high of £379,517 last May.

This fell by £2,113 or 0.6 per cent in the last month, which represented the biggest monthly decline in 14 years. 

Colleen Babcock, Rightmove's property expert, said: 'Affordability has been a central theme shaping these trends. 

'Areas with lower starting price points have had more room for growth, which has contributed to a widening north-south divide in price growth trends over the last ten years.

'Greater flexibility through hybrid and remote working is still influencing where people choose to live, supporting demand in cities that offer better value and a different lifestyle balance.'

'Higher prices in the capital have limited how much further buyers can stretch.'

Much of the country is currently a buyers' market due to high levels of stock on the market and few people out house hunting.

Increased mortgage costs and higher unemployment will also 'weigh on housing demand' according to a gloomy report yesterday by economic forecaster, the Item Club. 

It expects house prices to edge up by just 1.1 per cent this year and 0.6 per cent in 2027, having risen 2.7 per cent in 2025.

Mary-Lou Press, the president of estate agent membership body NAEA Propertymark said: 'Affordability has become one of the strongest drivers of house price growth over the past decade. 

'Cities such as Manchester, Wolverhampton and Nottingham have benefited from lower starting price points, while higher-value markets like London have faced natural affordability constraints.

'The data also reinforces a broader shift away from a London-centric market, with regional cities across the North and Midlands emerging as major growth centres.'