Average deposit size now higher than average salary

March 14, 2026 by Brendan O'Neill

Property Market

The average size of a deposit is now higher than the average annual salary in many parts of the UK, the latest research has found.

This research took average house prices by UK region and compared them with average annual salaries, to arrive at its findings. The results show that an average deposit is now higher than the average salary for a year in just over 62% of property markets. The research was carried out by eXp UK, an estate agent, and the data it used was taken from the December House Price Index.

The study arrived at its average deposit size by calculating 15% of the total average house price. That is currently £272,618, which leads to a standard deposit of £40,893. Meanwhile the average UK salary is £40,436, which is roughly 1.1% less.

When looked at on a regional basis, many parts of the nation have even wider gaps. In London, a typical deposit will be 50.3% higher than the average annual salary. In the South East and South West, it is 27.5% and 25.3% higher respectively.

Northern English regions, Wales and Scotland are the areas where average yearly salaries still exceed average deposits. The research paints a stark picture of how bad affordability is.

Adam Day from eXp UK spoke to Mortgage Introducer about the findings:

“Greater consideration must be given to how buyers can realistically build deposits, whether through targeted support, innovative lending solutions or a sustained focus on increasing housing supply.”

Most advisors with CeMAP training would favour all three solutions.