Looking for a cottage on your house hunting journey? If so, Zoopla has released a list of the most affordable places to find your home of dreams in the UK.
The rise of ‘cottagecore’ – the love and appreciation of the simpler life – grew to prominence during the pandemic. In what was dubbed the ‘race for space‘, homebuyers swarmed to rural areas to fulfil a slower lifestyle.
But, whilst in more recent times there has been a return to city living, the cottage idyll has remained strong.
Indeed, the word ‘cottage’ was the fourth most searched-for term on Zoopla in 2024, which, the property website said, underscored the nation’s obsession with the ‘chocolate box’ lifestyle.
And, it would seem, in certain parts of the country the rural dream may well be within realistic budgets. Zoopla’s analysis shows house hunters looking for a traditional country home can find price tags as low as £83,500 in the UK today.
This particular figure is the average asking price for a cottage in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, which Zoopla has named as the most affordable place to buy a cottage in Great Britain.
Its analysis shows Sunderland in the North East follows closely behind, with an average cottage price of £115,000.
In Wales, Rhondda Cynon Taf is the place to find the cheapest cottages – here the average asking price is £129,500.
Zoopla has compiled a list showing the areas in each region where cottage prices are the cheapest.
Areas in each region where cottages are the cheapest (Source: Zoopla Research 2025)
| Region | Area | Median asking price of a cottage |
| East Midlands | Amber Valley | £206,000 |
| East of England | Fenland | £249,000 |
| North East | Sunderland | £115,000 |
| North West | Blackburn with Darwen | £157,500 |
| Scotland | North Lanarkshire | £83,500 |
| South East | Southampton | £280,000 |
| South West | Plymouth | £248,500 |
| Wales | Rhondda Cynon Taf | £129,500 |
| West Midlands | Stoke-on-Trent & Newcastle-under-Lyme | £238,000 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Bradford | £200,000 |
Source: Zoopla Research 2025
For those with a bigger budget the areas commanding the highest prices for cottages are mostly in the South East of England and Zoopla said there was a clear regional divide.
The highest average asking price in this region is in Slough where a typical cottage is £824,500. The town is well-known as the location of Ricky Gervais’s sitcom The Office and is described by Zoopla as a ‘bustling urban centre’.
However its location on the border of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire means it is surrounded by historic villages such as Stoke Poges and Datchet, which have the traditional ‘chocolate-box’ aesthetic associated with cottages.
Welwyn Hatfield in the East of England and North Warwickshire in the West Midlands also have a ‘cottage premium’ with an average asking price of £662,500 and £615,000 respectively. Further north, a cottage in York has a median asking price of £400,000, aligning with the price in South Northamptonshire & Gedling in the East Midlands.
Where do cottagecore enthusiasts want to live?
According to Zoopla, the North West, Blackburn with Darwen is the hotspot for cottage buyer enquiries, with an average asking price of £157,500.
It said Southampton also leads the way in the South East, with a median asking price of £280,000.
The property website describes it as offering a ‘mix of urban amenities, a bustling waterfront and proximity to the New Forest’. This, it explained, made it a ‘highly desirable location for those seeking both city and rural living, offering the perfect balance for a modern cottagecore lifestyle’.
When it comes to choice the places in the UK with the most cottage options are the Derbyshire Dales in the East Midlands, where 21% of all homes for sale are cottages, and an average asking price of £310,000, according to Zoopla.
Other areas with a high concentration of cottages include Gwynedd and Ceredigion in Wales (19% and 17% respectively) with median asking prices of £244,000 and £292,500. The Forest of Dean (16%) and the Cotswolds (15%) in the South West were also high on the list with asking price averages of £380,500 and £525,000 for cottages.
Daniel Copley, consumer expert at Zoopla, said: “Our data shows a clear and sustained appetite for the cottagecore lifestyle, a trend that shows no signs of slowing down.
£While the dream of a quaint, rural cottage is often associated with high prices, our analysis highlights that affordability can still be found across the country. From the rolling hills of North Lanarkshire to the coastal charm of Sunderland, there are options for prospective buyers on a range of budgets.
“We’re seeing this desire for a simpler life translate into market demand, with specific areas becoming hotspots for buyer interest. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or looking for a change of pace, the cottage market offers diverse opportunities.”
