When you want the most home for your money, it’s easy to focus on the number of bedrooms or the size of the garden.
But when you know that a large 3-bed semi can have 55% more internal floor space than a small one, you realise there’s a lot more to comparing size and value.
Price per square foot is a smart way of looking at things.
It helps you compare the cost of homes of different shapes and sizes by putting them on a level playing field. You can make a true apples-to-apples comparison of value - regardless of total size or asking price.
It’s a reliable way to compare size and decide which homes offer the best value.
In this guide:
How big is the average home in the UK?
The average UK property is 1,052 sq ft (or just under 98 square metres).
This measures the total internal floor space, including all rooms and storage - but excluding basements, attics and outbuildings.
Here’s how that plays out for different property types.
Average square footage | Number of A4 sheets | |
1-bed flat | 560 | 834 |
2-bed flat | 760 | 1,132 |
2-bed house | 860 | 1,281 |
3-bed house | 1,100 | 1,639 |
4-bed house | 1,590 | 2,369 |
5-bed house | 2,230 | 3,322 |
UK average price per sq ft: £193
The average price per sq ft for a home in the UK is £193.
So, for the average-sized house, that would work out to an overall house price of £203,000.
(This figure is lower than our official £270,000 average UK house price, which is all to do with the mix of properties in the UK. Large expensive homes do two things at the same time: they pull house prices up, but because more space works out cheaper overall, they drag the price per sq ft down.)
How to work out your home's price per square foot
Figuring out your home's price per sq ft is a great way to get a handle on its true value, even if you have no plans to move.
It gives you a clear, single number so you can easily see how your place stacks up against the average in your local area or postcode.
Get your home's estimated value in MyHome
Search for your house price to find out your home's square footage
Then divide the value by the square footage = your price per square foot
(If we don't have your home's square footage, check your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or legal ownership documents.)
UK locations: Lowest price per square foot
If your main goal is to maximise living space, here is exactly where you need to look.
We’ve tracked down the local authority in every UK region that offers the lowest average price per square foot, giving you the absolute best bang for your buck based purely on size.
To help you easily visualise things, we’ve translated that cost per sq ft into the price per standard piece of A4 paper.
Region | Local authority | Avg. price per square foot | Avg. price per A4 paper |
Scotland | £110 | £74 | |
North West | £119 | £80 | |
North East | £124 | £83 | |
Wales | £125 | £84 | |
Yorkshire and the Humber | £134 | £90 | |
West Midlands | £155 | £104 | |
East Midlands | £171 | £115 | |
South West | £198 | £133 | |
Eastern | £206 | £138 | |
South East | £255 | £171 | |
London | £407 | £273 |
UK locations: Highest price per square foot
Here are the local authorities in every UK region where space costs the most.
Unsurprisingly, these top spots are home to some of the country's most sought-after properties.
Whether it's the premium postcodes of Westminster, the historic charm of York or the commuter appeal of St. Albans, buying a home in these high-demand hotspots means paying a serious premium for every inch of space.
Region | Local authority | Avg. price per square foot | Avg. price per A4 paper |
London | £1,247 | £837 | |
South East | £541 | £363 | |
Eastern | £523 | £351 | |
South West | £362 | £243 | |
West Midlands | £317 | £213 | |
North West | £316 | £212 | |
Yorkshire and the Humber | £311 | £209 | |
East Midlands | £307 | £206 | |
Scotland | £304 | £204 | |
Wales | £267 | £179 | |
North East | £200 | £134 |
What does £200 buy you across the UK?
We’ve looked at how many sheets of A4 paper you can buy for £200 across the UK to help you visualise the cost of space when buying a house.
The left column shows how much A4 paper you can buy for £200 in the least affordable towns in each UK region. The column on the right shows how much you can buy in the most affordable places by region.
Why does price per square foot vary so much?
While price per sq ft is a useful measure, it’s essential to understand what it misses.
The biggest thing that price per sq ft doesn’t account for is location. It only looks at the size of a home - completely ignoring the ground it sits on.
So a house with a huge garden in a beautiful quiet area with top schools nearby will have a higher cost per sq ft than the same sized house with a smaller garden in a less desirable location.
You also need to look at the condition of the house and all the extras. A brand-new home with marble countertops, herringbone flooring and Pinterest-perfect decor will cost more per sq ft than a fixer-upper that needs a lot of work.
And remember, a property’s official floor space only counts above-ground, indoor space. So a basement conversion, swimming pool, garage-gym or garden office will bump up the asking price without adding a single inch to the floorspace. This can artificially inflate the cost per sq ft.
