Cumberland topped a league table compiled by property experts at Sell House Fast, beating South Lanarkshire in Scotland to the top spot.
Doncaster, Burnley; Barnsley and Middlesborough were all considered less affordable for prospective homeowners.
Property moguls created an affordability score for each local authority in Great Britain, based on six measures: annual earnings, house prices, rental costs and access to budget supermarkets.
Cumberland received a score of 9.07 out of 10, the most favourable in the country, with a median salary of £33,840 and average house prices of £172,186.
This gives a house price-to-income ratio of just 5.09, well below the UK average of 9.35.
Jack Malnick, managing director at Sell House Fast, said: “One of the biggest misconceptions is that moving somewhere with higher salaries automatically leaves you better off.
“Our findings show that’s often not the case. In many northern areas, wages may be slightly lower than in London or the South East, but significantly cheaper housing means households keep much more of what they earn each month.
“That difference can have a much bigger impact on long-term financial security than salary alone.”
Estimated monthly mortgage repayments are around £742, leaving homeowners with almost 74 per cent of their annual income after mortgage costs.
Nine of the ten most affordable areas are in the North of England, including the North East, North West, and Yorkshire.
In stark contrast, Chichester was the least affordable local authority area in Great Britain, along with Brent in second place and the Bath and North East Somerset area in third.
Despite a median annual pay of £28,585, mortgage-holders in Chichester have just 22.69 per cent of their income left over after their annual payment.
Renters in Chichester typically have 44.38 per cent of their income left after rent.
Affordability in the North of England and Scotland is illustrated in the speed of house sales.
Research by Rightmove has revealed that it takes an average of 57 days to find a buyer in the North West, the only region where sellers can find a buyer quicker is Scotland at 29 days.
