The most affordable places for first-time buyers have been revealed, with a clear divide between the north and south of the country.
The most affordable location is Hull, in the north of England, where property prices are among some of the cheapest.
The city in East Yorkshire scored favourably for first-time buyers in terms of average property prices in the area and the deposit payable.
Hull was the UK City of Culture 2017, and its profile as a tourist destination has been rising in recent years. It has new attractions such as The Ferens Art Gallery, as well as the historic Old Town district and The Deep aquarium.
Although the year-long event is over, the council has committed millions to maintaining its legacy and investing in Hull as a destination.
The study by property website Zoopla took into account a variety of other factors, including tax relief available on stamp duty and the cost of servicing a mortgage versus paying rent.
Each area was given a score out of 10, with Hull reaching an impressive 8.35 compared to a national average of 7.29.
The average price of a property in Hull is £104,376, with the average deposit payable £15,656.
The second most affordable location for first-time buyers is Middlesbrough, in North Yorkshire, with a score of 8.34.
It has an average property price of £107, 041 requiring an average deposit of £16,056.
It is followed by Liverpool in third place, Nottingham in fourth and Coventry in fifth.
By contrast, the south of the country is less affordable, according to the Zoopla research.
Those looking to buy their first home in the south can expect to spend around £520,000 on a property and would need an average deposit of more than £77,000, it claimed.
It is perhaps unsurprising that London – where house prices tend to be higher – is ranked as the most unaffordable place for first-time buyers, scoring just 0.62.
It is followed by Cambridge with a score of 3.7 and Brighton with a score of 4.49.
Six of the top 10 most affordable cities for first-time buyers are in the north while eight of the 10 least affordable cities are in the south of England.
Zoopla's Lawrence Hall said: 'It's no surprise to see cities in the north offering the most viable options for first-time buyers in Britain. Prices in Southern England have continued to rise at a relatively fast rate, making it very difficult for the average first-time buyer to get on the property ladder.'
He added: 'The recent relief from Stamp Duty Land Tax on the first £300,000 of a property purchase will clearly help those aiming to get on the property ladder.'
New stamp duty rules allow first-time buyers to make a tax-free property purchase up to the value of £300,000.
It follows separate research last month, again from Zoopla, which stated that the most affordable place to buy a property if you're single is the Staffordshire market town of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
It examined the cost of owning a one-bedroom flat in local authorities across England and Wales and compared it to the average earnings in those areas.
It found that the average mortgage repayment on a one-bedroom flat in Newcastle-under-Lyme equates to 10.84 per cent of the monthly wage in the area.
It is three times less than the average for England and Wales at 35.14 per cent of the monthly wage.
BELVOIR Liverpool Central Sales Team can be contacted on 0151 231 1613 option 1 or email us at liverpoolcentral.sales@belvoir.co.uk
