A Kent town has been named the most affordable place to buy a home in the south east.

With prices averaging at £250,000, Dover is ranked the cheapest town to purchase a property in the region, according to research by website Zoopla.

That figure is £158,400 cheaper than the properties in the south east priced at £408,400 on average.

It is estimated that a household with two incomes earns £79,300 in Dover, meaning homes costs 3.2 times people’s earnings.

Meanwhile, properties in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey cost £266,200, making it the second most affordable town in that part of England.

Portsmouth is in third place with prices at £255,700 and is Chatham, in Medway, is fourth at £282,300.

Cumnock in Scotland is Britain's most affordable town to buy in with house prices of £80,300, far below the UK’s £267,500. In Cumnock, the estimated household income stands at £75,800.

Zoopla, a property website, found that despite annual earnings growing by 3.7% over the last 12 months, outpacing house price growth, UK homebuyers can still expect to pay 3.8 times their annual incomes.

To calculate which areas are the most affordable, Zoopla analysed house value-to-earnings ratios, based on a household on a usual salary for the local area.

Izabella Lubowiecka, senior property researcher at Zoopla said: “Affordability remains a concern for many homebuyers so it is positive to see that there are areas of the UK, such as southern England, where the affordability of housing has improved.

“London remains the least affordable area for home buyers.

“Those in London looking to get more for their money may want to consider buying in one of the south east and east of England’s commuter belt, where there are many towns that are more affordable than London.

“The same is true in markets around many regional cities and we see buyers seeking value for money. ”

This month KentOnline reported Dover has had Kent’s lowest average rent since 2019 - currently £859 per month - but that has risen by almost a quarter in the past five years.

Sevenoaks is the most expensive this year, at £1,609 per month, but Folkestone has had the biggest rise in the last five, up 36% by 2019, with people paying £989 a month.