How Long Does It Take a Single Person to Buy an Average Property in Their Area? [October 2025]

New research from Boon Brokers has revealed that it could take single earners more than a lifetime to buy an average home in parts of the UK, and in some cities, it’s simply impossible altogether. Download the full research file in the footer of this article.

Key Findings:

• • • It is impossible for a single earner who is renting to save enough to buy an average property in London or Bristol.
    • 157+ years years for a single earner who is renting to save enough to buy an average property in Cambridge.
    • 35+ years for a single earner who is renting to save enough to buy an average property in Manchester.
    • 20+ years for a single earner who is renting to save enough to buy an average property in Leeds.
    • £798.82 is the highest monthly amount saveable on an average income by single earners who are renting.

Owning a property in the UK has long been the milestone that demonstrates financial security and has been the hallmark of true adulthood. But, for single buyers today, the reality is that homeownership is becoming increasingly out of reach.

Our latest research set out to uncover just how difficult it has become for a single person to buy a home in today’s economic climate. Drawing on a variety of different sources, our findings uncovered a shocking truth: that in many parts of the UK, homeownership for single buyers is no longer just challenging – it can actually be impossible in practice.

Our Research Model

To understand the true scale of this issue, Boon Brokers analysed data on average incomes, house prices, property inflation, monthly living costs, and rent costs across different regions. We have modelled our research on two realistic scenarios:

• Scenario 1: Renting privately while saving each month.
• Scenario 2: Living rent-free with family to maximise savings potential.

This comparison highlights the significant impact that rent has on affordability and deposit timelines – the single largest variable affecting a buyer’s ability to step onto the property ladder.

To ensure consistency, our analysis is based on a standardised set of assumptions. We have assumed a single individual with the following precepts:

1. No debts or existing financial obligations.
2. No gifted deposit or external financial support.
3. No unexpected expenses reducing their savings during the timeframe.
4. No loss of income due to illness, redundancy, or injury.
5. Access to a mortgage worth up to 4.5x their annual income (a typical upper limit for affordability assessments).
6. First-time buyer status, resulting in reduced Stamp Duty Tax liability.

Using data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Zoopla, GOV.UK, and corroborating sources, Boon Brokers has calculated local affordability ratios, average property prices, and typical savings rates across UK regions.

By cross-referencing these data points, we have calculated the earliest possible point at which a single person on an average income could realistically purchase an average property with a standard mortgage.

Locked Out of the Housing Market by Renting

The research reveals that for single earners in Scenario 1 – renting privately while saving each month on an average income – achieving the financial means to buy an average property has become increasingly unrealistic.

Depending on your location, the point of affordability can range from several years to several decades, highlighting deep regional disparities in the housing market and the accessibility for first-time buyers.

For single earners In London and Bristol, the research uncovered a shocking reality: monthly costs outstrip earnings, and renting independently on the corresponding local average income,  can actually make it impossible for single earners to save enough each month to purchase an average property. For example, the data revealed that London renters would see their average net income of £3,108 per month consumed almost entirely by £2,087 in rent and £1,058 in living expenses, leaving them with a deficit of £37 each month. In Bristol, the situation is even more severe, with renters facing a monthly deficit of £261.60 each month after accounting for rent, expenses, and living costs.

Even in cities where renters can technically save, the figures still verge on the absurd. Take Cambridge – a city with strong employment prospects and high wages – a typical renter earning £2,886 per month could save around £224 monthly after rent and expenses. At this rate, the average deposit required for an average property (£298,546, excluding fees and Stamp Duty) would take more than 157 years – two lifetimes – to be able to accumulate the sufficient finances to purchase an average property through saving alone.

In comparison with the more affordable cities with lower average property prices, including Manchester (£249,000) and Leeds (£240,000), the challenge, while no longer mathematically impossible, remains to be a significant hurdle. The data found that single earners who are renting and on an average income would still need around 35 years of monthly savings in Manchester and over 20 years in Leeds in order to save up sufficient funds to afford an average property with a mortgage.

Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, and Nottingham all sit in a middle ground, with the data showing that single renters, on their regional average income, could feasibly reach the financial thresholds spread over 10 – 20 years.

By stark contrast, cities that offer the most affordable housing options, such as Liverpool and Glasgow, provide insights into just how location alone can make a significant difference. With lower property prices (Liverpool £182,000 and Glasgow £191,000) and more manageable rent costs, single renters in these areas could realistically look to purchase an average home within just three to four years with the aid of a standard mortgage.

However, these two cities are outliers, and the overall picture of data shows clearly that, for many, renting in the UK’s current economic backdrop can significantly limit the ability to accumulate enough savings for homeownership.

Ultimately, the research found that in high-cost areas, homeownership for a single renter is not merely difficult – it has, in many cases, already become, or is fast approaching, a mathematical impossibility without external support.

Crucially, our calculations assume best-case scenarios: no debts, no unexpected costs, and access to a mortgage of 4.5× annual income. They also factor in first-time buyer Stamp Duty reductions. Yet even under these ideal conditions, the research has identified a profound structural inequity. For single applicants, rent alone – the unavoidable monthly outgoings for most single earners – is the single largest barrier preventing homeownership.

These findings highlight a critical structural issue in the UK housing market: the ability to buy is increasingly determined by geographic location and external help, whether that is through family wealth or inheritance, rather than self-projected financial discipline or success. Renting today, particularly in high-demand areas, has created a barrier that is often insurmountable for single people without external support.

The sad reality is that, for many, decades of careful saving may never suffice. The data indicates that homeownership for single people is becoming increasingly reliant on parental support, gifted deposits, or the unlikely possibility of an extraordinary income growth.

Family Support Holds the Key for First-Time Buyers

When analysing the data for single earners in Scenario 2 – living rent-free with family – the ability to save towards purchasing an average property on an average income improves dramatically. By removing rent from monthly outgoings, the disposable income available for savings rises sharply, naturally shortening the timeline to affordability across all cities analysed.

However, even with the largest financial burden – rent – removed, high-cost areas continue to present a significant challenge for single earners seeking homeownership. Due to ongoing living expenses, the research shows that these regions shift from timelines that were once impossible into ones that remain highly impractical, even with external support.

In London, where property prices average at £594,688, a single earner on the average net income of £3,108, saving £2,049 each month, would still require around 16.7 years of savings while living at home in order to step onto the property ladder. Bristol follows this pattern with the average house price of £349,000, a single earning on the average net income of £2,399, saving £1,516 each month, can still expect a 13.4 year timeline. Similarly, Cambridge, despite its high wages with an average monthly saving of £1,996 still would require 13 years to reach the affordability threshold.

While these figures are markedly lower than the timelines for single earners who must pay rent (Scenario 1), they remain far from practical. Even in our near-ideal ‘best-case scenario,’ the data shows that an adult earning their regional average income from the age of 18 would still need to live rent-free until around 31 to 34 years of age in higher-cost areas such as London, Bristol, or Cambridge. This clearly illustrates why the age at which adults can leave home continues to rise and outlines the necessity today of external financial support.

Crucially, the data shows a massive shift in expectations for single earners in mid-lower cost areas. Comparing the same mid-range cities, including Manchester (£249,000), Leeds (£240,000), and Edinburgh (£289,000), show much attainable timelines. Saving while living at home reduces the pathway to 4.8 years in Manchester, 4.75 years in Leeds, and 5.74 years in Edinburgh. Following suit, cities like Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, and Nottingham similarly see timelines fall into a three-to-four-year range.

The shortest timelines for single earners on their regional average income to reach the financial threshold for an average property with a mortgage were in Glasgow and Liverpool. Single earners living at home in these areas could realistically reach affordability within one to two years. In Glasgow, average monthly savings of £2,656 allow a purchase within just 0.81 years, while Liverpool shows a slightly longer timeline of 1.25 years – compared with over three years for renters.

While these figures paint a more optimistic picture of homeownership for single earners, they also underscore a hidden reliance on external support. The key difference between scenarios lies in rent: living rent-free does not remove the expense entirely, it merely shifts the responsibility elsewhere. Adults living at home are still dependent on the financial capacity of their parents or guardians, highlighting that affordability is often contingent on family support or financial gifts, rather than individual income alone.

With that said, while the research shows how living rent-free can significantly shorten the journey to homeownership, the data also shows us that, even in an idealistic scenario, it does not entirely overcome the structural barriers created by high property prices.

The Inflation Barrier to Buying a Home

The research across both scenarios makes one thing clear: single earners face a housing market that is increasingly shaped by factors beyond their control. Whether renting independently or living rent-free at home, the ability to purchase a property today is dictated less by income and savings, and more by geography, parental support, or the ability to find a joint applicant – partner.

High-cost areas such as London, Bristol, and Cambridge demonstrate these inequalities most clearly. As we’ve touched on, the research shows that for single earners who are renting,  homeownership is simply mathematically impossible. And for those living at home, the timeline is far from short, and requires financial assistance throughout the saving period.

In contrast, lower-cost cities like Glasgow and Liverpool offer far more attainable timelines, with single earners able to realistically purchase a home within a few years if they benefit from rent-free living. Yet even here, the dependence on external support remains: the affordability timeline is only feasible because living costs are subsidised through external financial support, typically family.

What adds to the complications of this data is the continual rising property prices. Even in the context of a property market with minimum growth, inflation of the property market remains a key barrier for single earners.

While the research and stats recorded in our data have outlined and accounted for the current property inflation, it’s crucial to note that inflation will continue to play a worrying role moving forward, with potential drastic long-term effects.

The UK housing market in 2025 is experiencing a low-moderate rate of inflation. However, if house prices return to the higher levels of inflation seen over the past decade, the timeline for purchasing an average property could extend significantly. Even modest annual increases in house prices can quickly compound over time, meaning that savings which might appear sufficient today could soon become insufficient to secure a mortgage tomorrow.

For single earners, particularly those renting, this inflationary pressure and continuing rise in the costs of living risks turning achievable goals into mathematical impossibilities.

Income growth, as recorded by the Office for National Statistics, has failed to keep pace with housing inflation. Stagnant or relatively slow increases in wages compared to the rising property values have resulted in the ratio of house price to income to further widen. This gap disproportionately affects those who do not benefit from external financial support, such as parental contributions or gifted deposits.

Income growth, as recorded by the Office for National Statistics, has failed to keep pace with housing inflation. Looking from an annual perspective alone, in the 12 months to May 2025, average UK house prices increased by 3.9% to £269,000, up from 3.6% in the previous year. In contrast, average weekly earnings in Great Britain were estimated at £727 for total earnings and £680 for regular earnings in July 2025.

This disparity means that the ratio of house prices to income continues to widen, disproportionately affecting those without external financial support, such as parental contributions or gifted deposits.

In practical terms, and as the research indicates, this inequality can only lead to one result: even if a single person manages to save consistently, the ongoing rise in property values will likely exceed their capacity to accumulate sufficient funds. In turn, this will push the prospect of homeownership further and further out of reach, delaying financial independence for potentially generations of first-time buyers.

The Growing Divide for Single Buyers

The research underlines one clear pattern: access to homeownership for single earners today is rarely determined by effort alone. Family wealth, partnership arrangements, and geographic location all play an overwhelming role in dictating a realistic timeline to affordability.

Across the UK, the ability to purchase an average property remains heavily influenced by both location and external financial support. For single earners who are renting, the high monthly outgoings can make saving almost impossible in cities like London and Bristol, while even in more moderately priced areas, the timelines can still extend into decades.

Meanwhile, in the “best-possible scenario” of living completely rent-free, it still does not guarantee an early or easy path into homeownership. While the research shows a dramatic boost to savings, this scenario remains unachievable without substantial family support. Living rent-free in a family home naturally depends heavily on the financial security and wealth of the family, whether through the ability to provide housing or through direct financial gifts.

The data places a light on the growing inequality in housing accessibility for single earners: the ability to purchase an average property is becoming increasingly reliant on additional financial support, rather than personal financial discipline.

Today, single earners without gifted deposits, family assistance, or a partner who is able to boost their mortgage affordability are faced with the reality that homeownership is incredibly difficult to obtain in a meaningful timeframe – even with consistent saving from an early age.

Inflation and rising living costs compound the challenge, with the ongoing increase in house prices likely to outpace savings for many first-time buyers. In effect, the housing market has become less a reflection of individual work-ethic and financial discipline, and more a measure of circumstance. Location, inherited wealth, and family support now play decisive roles in determining whether a single person can realistically buy a property.

The data reveals a troubling reality: for single earners, financial independence is being delayed, family support is becoming essential, and the ability to secure a mortgage on your own is slipping further from reach with each passing year.

 Download the Full Results – Average Purchase Timeline Survey – October 2025