Cheaper homes are easier to find in Sheffield – and the reason might surprise you

The website WeBuyAnyHome says it has discovered a correlation between house prices and the density of the UK’s leading supermarkets.

An analysis of 392 locations suggests that homeowners living by a Tesco are most likely to reside in areas with the lowest property prices.

According to data from the Office for National Statistics, the average house price in Britain is £257,858.

In Sheffield, however, the average is £160,000, and there are nearly 20 Tesco stores in the city – a rate of 4.39 shops per 100,000 people.

By contrast, there is only one Waitrose. In London, the average house price is £525,113, and the upmarket grocer dominates areas where properties cost above the norm.

Living near an Aldi or a Sainsbury’s is an indicator of lower house prices too, reportedly. In Barnsley, Aldi is the leading supermarket and the average property cost is £131,000 – the store is foremost in Rotherham as well, where the standard price of a home is £140,000.

In Doncaster, Tesco tips the balance again. The average cost of a house in the town is £130,000.

Meanwhile, in Sheffield a recent study predicted that Fulwood is likely to experience the most substantial rise in property values this year. In the affluent suburb, values rose by 31 per cent between 2007 and 2016 alone.