House prices increased slightly, by 0.9%, in Southampton in May, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 4.5% annual growth.

The average Southampton house price in May was £221,411, Land Registry figures show – a 0.9% increase on April.

Over the month, the picture was similar to that across the South East, where prices increased 1.4%.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Southampton rose by £9,500 – putting the area 61st among the South East’s 70 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in Oxford, where property prices increased on average by 16.1%, to £456,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Chichester lost 2.7% of their value, giving an average price of £396,000.

Winners and Losers

Owners of flats saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Southampton in May – they increased 1.2%, to £157,543 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 2.8%.

Among other types of property:

  • Detached: up 0.4% monthly; up 4.6% annually; £380,434 average
  • Semi-detached: up 0.7% monthly; up 5.1% annually; £272,929 average
  • Terraced: up 1% monthly; up 6.3% annually; £228,090 average

First steps on ladder

First-time buyers in Southampton spent an average of £198,300 on their property – £8,100 more than a year ago, and £23,000 more than in May 2016.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £252,300 on average in May – 27.3% more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Southampton compare?

Buyers paid less for properties in Southampton than anywhere else in the South East in May. The average price paid in Elmbridge (£646,000), at the other end of the scale, would buy 2.9 homes in Southampton.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average May sale price of £1.2 million could buy 12 properties in Burnley (average £100,000).

Across the South East, property prices are lower than those across the UK, where the average cost £255,000.

Factfile

Average property price in May

  • Southampton: £221,411
  • The South East: £350,016
  • UK: £254,624

Annual growth to May

  • Southampton: +4.5%
  • The South East: +9.1%
  • UK: +10%

Best and worst annual growth in the South East

  • Oxford: +16.1%
  • Chichester: -2.7%