The house-price-to-earnings ratio in northern cities is just half that of southern cities, according to comparethemarket.com, at 6.72 times income in the North compared to 12.38 in the South.

The price comparison site found that London, Oxford and Brighton and Hove are the three cities where the house price to salary ratio is the biggest.

At the other end of the scale Stoke-on-Trent, Dundee and Sunderland are the three cities where the house price to salary ratio is the smallest.

The 10 towns and cities where house prices are the highest compared to salaries are:

1. London: 15.34
2. Oxford: 15.20
3. Brighton & Hove: 14.95
4. Woking: 14.81
5. Cambridge: 14.63
6. High Wycombe: 14.42
7. Bath: 14.10
8. Hemel Hempstead: 13.73
9. Poole: 13.28
10. Chelmsford: 12.97

The 10 towns and cities where house prices are the lowest compared to salaries are:

1. Stoke-on-Trent: 4.98
2. Dundee: 5.26
3. Sunderland: 5.53
4. St Helens 5.67
5. Blackburn: 5.71
6. Hull: 5.75
7. Blackpool: 5.78
8. Glasgow: 5.80
9. Middlesbrough: 5.82
10. Wigan: 5.97

While the average of the median salaries of southerners (£26,056) is a little higher than those of northerners (£21,356), the average house prices are higher, said comparethemarket.com. It found that homes in the north costing an average of £144,356 and homes in the south costing an average of £328,444.