Liverpool is continuing to show resilience in a housing market that looks far more subdued at national level.
The latest UK House Price Index shows the average house price in the UK at £268,132 in March 2026, down 0.4% month on month and unchanged compared with a year earlier. That is a useful benchmark because it confirms the national market is no longer moving with the strength seen in faster growth periods. Liverpool, by contrast, still recorded annual growth. The average house price in the city was £182,000 in March 2026, up 2.9% from March 2025. The latest UK House Price Index and Liverpool’s local housing data page both point to that contrast.
That matters because Liverpool is not outperforming in a booming national market. It is doing so while the wider UK picture is flat. In practical terms, that tends to make local resilience more meaningful. Cities that can still post annual growth in a slower national cycle are usually benefiting from stronger local demand, better value or a combination of both. According to TK Property Group, this is one of the reasons Liverpool remains relevant in 2026: it still offers a workable balance between affordability, demand and room for growth.
Liverpool is outperforming a flat national picture
The most striking comparison in the latest data is the gap between national stagnation and Liverpool’s continued annual rise. The UK average remained unchanged year on year in March 2026, while Liverpool still rose by 2.9%. Across the North West, the average house price was £215,000 in March 2026, which was broadly in line with the previous year. Liverpool therefore not only beat the UK average trend, but also outperformed the wider regional pattern on annual house price growth.
This tells an important story about where the market still has traction. In a weaker cycle, buyers become more selective, and value-led cities often hold up better than places where pricing has already become harder to justify. Liverpool appears to be benefiting from exactly that kind of environment.
The latest UK House Price Index gives Liverpool useful context
The value of the UK House Price Index is that it places Liverpool’s performance in a wider national setting. A city showing growth while the UK average is flat can usually be read as a market with stronger local support than the headlines alone might suggest. The Land Registry index also notes that local markets should be judged over a year or longer because short-term local movements can be volatile. Liverpool’s annual trend is therefore more useful than any one-month shift.
That longer-view approach is especially relevant in 2026 because national sentiment has become much more cautious. A flat national figure does not mean every local market is weak. It means investors and buyers need to look more closely at where growth is still being supported by genuine local factors. Liverpool is one of the cities where that closer look still produces a relatively encouraging picture.
Lower pricing is still one of Liverpool’s biggest advantages
Liverpool’s house price of £182,000 in March 2026 keeps the city well below the UK average of £268,132. It also leaves Liverpool below the North West average of £215,000. That pricing gap matters because affordability is one of the biggest dividing lines in the current market. Where borrowing costs still shape buyer behaviour, lower entry prices give local demand more room to remain active.
This lower price base helps Liverpool in several ways:
- it keeps deposits and borrowing needs more manageable
- it supports a stronger value case than many higher-priced markets
- it gives first-time buyers more room to enter the market
- it helps the city remain attractive to investors focused on realistic entry costs
That is one of the main reasons Liverpool can still post annual growth while the national market remains flat. The city has appreciated, but it has not become so expensive that demand starts to dry up.
The rental market is adding another layer of support
Liverpool’s local housing picture is being supported not only by sales values, but also by rents. Average private rent in the city rose to £897 in April 2026, up 6.3% from £844 a year earlier. That was stronger than the North West annual rise of 5.8%. In a city where rents are still rising more quickly than the wider regional benchmark, the case for ongoing housing demand looks stronger than it would if both sales and lettings were flat.
This matters because investors are increasingly looking for cities where income can support the wider property case. Liverpool’s combination of lower purchase prices and continued rental growth helps preserve that logic. In a more selective national market, that can make the city stand out more clearly.
First-time buyer and mortgage-buyer data remain encouraging
The local data also shows that Liverpool is not relying on just one part of the market. First-time buyers paid an average of £167,000 in March 2026, up from £162,000 a year earlier. Homes bought with a mortgage averaged £189,000, up from £183,000. These figures matter because they suggest activity is still being supported by mainstream financed buyers rather than by one narrow segment of demand.
That gives Liverpool a more rounded position in 2026. It suggests that the market is not simply being propped up by cash-rich buyers or isolated investment interest. Instead, it still has active support from people using mortgages and entering the market for the first time, which is often a healthier sign of local depth.
