07 May 2019

Bank of Scotland has reviewed Registers of Scotland data and for the third year running, the scenic town of North Berwick is the most expensive seaside town with an average house price of £346,225. St Andrews is the second most expensive (£316,635).  But wait!  Who's next?  You didn't guess Newtonhill (£221,515) followed by Stonehaven (£218,163) by any chance?

It is important to bear in mind what this is and what this isn't.  It is a look at average seaside property prices, which have increased by £11,161 (8%) in the last five years. This is much lower than the rise in house prices seen across Scotland as a whole, with homes in Scottish towns costing £179,141 on average, a rise of 14% over five years. When looking at house prices in seaside towns across Great Britain, property prices have jumped £41,532 (21%), over this time.

It isn't looking at facilities, or quality of life - as other similar surveys have. This looks only at average prices, so only what has sold.  If you looking for value for money then Port Bannatyne (£86,830) might be for you.  Here are the winners and the losers!

    AVERAGE    
  Highest £     Lowest £
North Berwick 346,225   Port Bannatyne 86,830
St Andrews 316,635   Campbeltown 87,651
Newtonhill 221,515   Millport 91,850
Stonehaven 218,163   Wick 92,295
Dunbar 205,000   Girvan 93,187

"Scottish seaside towns are highly popular places to live, offering sought-after scenery, lifestyle and, more often than you might expect, good weather. For anyone looking to move, seaside towns in Scotland provide good value in comparison to seaside towns in other parts of the UK. The continued price growth in Scottish seaside towns overall suggests the popularity of coastal living isn’t wavering.” said Graham Blair, Head of Mortgages at Bank of Scotland.

The full results are on the bank's website.