
It takes first-time buying couples just under 15 months to save for an average deposit of £17,538 to buy a home in the Granite city. Aberdeen is known for below-average costs for property, with first-time buyers paying on average £116,920 as of 2024.
Assuming both partners are on the average wage, this means they’ll be able to save £1,173 a month, and they’ll be able to save for their deposit in just under a year and three months.
That’s according to Property Cash Buyers, which analysed HM Land Registry and Office for National Statistics data to work out average salaries and typical house prices across England, Scotland and Wales.
Scottish dominance
North Ayrshire came in second place where couples earning the average wage could save the required deposit of £16,985 in just 15.96 months.
In third place is North Lanarkshire, where couples can save for a deposit in 16.41 months, or just over a year and four months. The average first-time buyer property price in the area is £121,016, with a 15% deposit amounting to £18,152.

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Burnley in England takes the fourth spot, with first-time buyers taking 17.86 months (just a year and six months) to save for a deposit. With the average first-time home price of £105,991, couples will need to save £15,899 to buy here.
Rounding out the top five is another Scottish location, Inverclyde. Here, the average first-time buyer deposit is £16,292, taking couples 18.15 months (approximately a year and six months) to accumulate. The area’s property prices are relatively low, though so are the average wages, with the average first-time buyer paying £108,612 in 2024.
East Ayrshire, Dundee, West Dunbartonshire, Na h-Eileanan and Hartlepool complete the top 10.
Saif Derzi, founder of Property Buyers Today said: “Scotland clearly dominates this list of most affordable places, but it is important to recognise why that is.
“Some of the top areas on this list are affordable because they are known to be struggling. For example, Inverclyde is home to Greenock and Port Glasgow, which were both found to be in the top 5% most deprived areas according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation in 2020. This is in part reflected by the low average wages.
“However, these areas still offer great opportunities for local couples and families looking to step onto the property ladder, especially given their proximity to larger cities like Glasgow, with stronger job markets.
“While Scotland evidently is easier to afford for residents, there are a few locations in the top 15 for English residents to look into and get their foot in the door.”