Barrow named among fastest-rising seaside housing markets

Barrow’s place in the seaside surge

Barrow ranks ninth in a new league table of coastal hotspots for annual house price growth, with average asking prices now at £185,169.

That is still well below the UK-wide average price of £378,304 for a home coming to the market in May, underlining Barrow’s position as a relatively affordable place to buy by the sea despite recent increases.

The figures come as Barrow braces for thousands of new defence jobs and a £200m town centre revamp under the Heart of Barrow regeneration plans.

Merseyside and Wales lead the growth

While Barrow breaks into the national top 10, the strongest price growth is being seen further south and west.

Bootle in Merseyside tops the list, with average asking prices up 11% year-on-year to £141,680, while nearby Crosby takes second place with prices rising 9% to £330,900.

Several Welsh coastal towns also feature prominently, including Penarth in South Glamorgan – up 8% to £433,081 – along with Llantwit Major, also up 8% to £340,033, and Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, where prices are 7% higher at £201,570.

Seaside markets defying the wider dip

Across Britain as a whole, average asking prices are currently 0.3% lower than this time last year, suggesting many coastal locations are bucking the trend and still seeing solid growth.

Rightmove said coastal living remains relatively affordable compared with many other parts of the country, with around four in five of the roughly 100 seaside areas analysed – each with at least 20 new listings – having average asking prices below the national figure.

What Rightmove says about demand

Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s property expert, said demand for homes on the coast remains robust even as overall UK price growth has cooled.

She added that realistically priced properties are continuing to attract buyers, particularly in areas where local demand is helping to push up values.

How Barrow compares with other hotspots

Rightmove’s top 10 seaside locations for year-on-year house price growth, with average asking prices, are:

1. Bootle, Merseyside – up 11% to £141,680
2. Crosby, Merseyside – up 9% to £330,900
3. Penarth, South Glamorgan, Wales – up 8% to £433,081
4. Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan, Wales – up 8% to £340,033
5. Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales – up 7% to £201,570
6. Wallasey, Merseyside – up 7% to £200,753
7. Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales – up 7% to £220,622
8. Porthcawl, South Glamorgan, Wales – up 6% to £359,412
9. Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria – up 6% to £185,169
10. Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, Scotland – up 6% to £247,953

Barrow’s average asking price sits below many of these fast-growing markets, suggesting it remains cheaper than a number of rival seaside towns despite its recent rise.

Britain’s priciest coastal postcodes

At the top end of the market, Sandbanks in Dorset remains one of the most expensive seaside locations in Britain, with homes there typically changing hands for well over £1 million.

Rightmove’s top 10 most expensive seaside towns, by average asking price, are:

1. Sandbanks, Dorset – £1,119,945
2. Canford Cliffs, Dorset – £1,045,533
3. Lymington, Hampshire – £545,926
4. Barton on Sea, Hampshire – £496,143
5. Lyme Regis, Dorset – £474,417
6. St Ives, Cornwall – £461,959
7. Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex – £455,939
8. Swanage, Dorset – £455,347
9. Sidmouth, Devon – £450,971
10. Saltdean, East Sussex – £449,007

The UK’s cheapest seaside spots – with a Cumbrian name

At the other end of the scale, a separate table of Britain’s cheapest seaside towns shows how far coastal prices can vary.

Peterlee in County Durham is the least expensive, with an average asking price of £120,657, while Workington also flies the flag for Cumbria in the budget list.

Rightmove’s top 10 cheapest seaside towns, with average asking prices, are:

1. Peterlee, County Durham – £120,657
2. Grimsby, Lincolnshire – £133,706
3. Ashington, Northumberland – £133,775
4. Bootle, Merseyside – £141,680
5. Blackpool, Lancashire – £142,277
6. Fleetwood, Lancashire – £147,910
7. Birkenhead, Merseyside – £148,942
8. Workington, Cumbria – £155,013
9. Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland – £157,754
10. Seaham, County Durham – £157,994

With Barrow now among the fastest-growing seaside markets but still far from the top price brackets, the figures suggest the town is seeing rising demand while remaining comparatively affordable for buyers looking to live by the sea.

Read The Mail’s full guide to buying property in Barrow-in-Furness here: Barrow house prices – A buyer’s guide to the 2026 market