United Kingdom real estate market — prices, rental yield and trend

• Average price: $3,767 / m²
• Gross rental yield: 6.18%
• 12-month price change (USD): 1.4%
• Net rental yield: 5.04%
• Transaction cost: 9.8%
• Bubble-risk band: moderate
• Price basis: national average

Residential property in United Kingdom averages $3,767 per square metre. In dollar terms the market has barely moved over the last twelve months (+1.4%). That makes it the 118th most expensive of the 264 markets in the set.

What a buyer pays in United Kingdom

The $3,767 figure is a national average across all residential property types, which flattens a wide spread — the capital typically runs far above it and small towns far below. Buying costs — transfer tax or stamp duty, notary, registration and agency — come to about 9.8% of the price here. On a 100 m² apartment at the average price that is roughly $36,917 on top of the $376,700 purchase price. That is close to the 9.5% median across the set. Of that, the transfer tax alone is 7–19% depending on the buyer and the property; the rest is notary, registration and agency fees.

What it earns

United Kingdom publishes prices and rents per home, not per square metre. To place it on the same scale as the other markets we divided both by an average dwelling size of 96 m² (English Housing Survey Headline Report 2024-25): about $19.4 a month against $3,767 per square metre. The 6.2% gross yield does not depend on that estimate — the floor area divides out of the ratio — but the per-square-metre level is an estimate, not a published figure. It ranks 76th of 311 markets by gross yield. Rental income is taxed at 0–19.3% — the rate is not a single number here. The 5% net figure we publish uses 18.5%. On the way out there is a third tax: a non-resident seller pays 18–24% on the gain, depending on how long the property was held and who is selling.

How the tax works. 18.51% is the conservative case: the 20% basic rate after the £1,000 property allowance, assuming no personal allowance. The decisive question is the £12,570 personal allowance, which non-residents receive only if they are UK or EEA nationals or resident in a treaty country whose treaty grants it; with it, rent at typical levels is fully covered and the tax is 0% — the lower end of the band. The 20% Non-Resident Landlord Scheme withholding is a payment on account, not a final tax, and Scottish rates do not apply to property income. Source: gov.uk / LITRG.

Where the price sits against its own history

Prices are +11.2% over five years and +37.2% over ten in local terms. Today’s level sits 24.1% above the country’s own long-run trend. A gap that size does not have to close, but it is the number to watch. Glopra’s bubble-risk score for United Kingdom is 41 out of 100 — moderate risk. Of the 65 markets scored, 52 read higher.

United Kingdom house price index, 2016–2026 (2016 = 100)

Rebased to 100 in 2016, the index stands at 137.9 in 2026.

Who can buy in United Kingdom

Freehold unrestricted; flats are often leasehold. That is the rule a foreign buyer meets first, not legal advice — check the current position locally before you commit.

How this figure is built

The price figure for United Kingdom is built from an official, transaction-based price index. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-29. We rate our confidence in this market’s data medium: the series is usable, but thinner or less current than our best-covered markets. We recompute every market the same way; a figure that fails our checks is suppressed, not guessed.

Sources: landregistry.data.gov.uk · ons.gov.uk · assets.publishing.service.gov.uk · globalpropertyguide.com. Snapshot: 2026-10-29.