By simply choosing your borough, information on property prices is revealed.
A new interactive map from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), based on 2016 house price data, shows you how the cost per square metre (sqm) of floor space, an area about the size of a red telephone box, varies across England and Wales.
It reveals that the average cost of property in the priciest area of England and Wales cost a staggering 25 times as much as in the cheapest spot, with one square metre of floor space costing £19,439 in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea, while in the valley region of Blaenau Gwent, South Wales, the same amount of space costs just £777.
The map shows that the disparity between regional house prices is extraordinary, with clear evidence of a North-South divide.
The average cost of property sold in England and Wales last year was £2,395sqm, although this would have increased slightly so far in 2017.
Unsurprisingly, 19 of the top 20 most expensive local authority areas are in London, with Kensington and Chelsea, the City of London, Westminster and Camden claiming the top four spots.
Buyers seeking value for money should consider heading to Barking and Dagenham, which is the least expensive London borough. According to the map, homes here cost an average of £3,994sqm.
The house price data reveals that Elmbridge in Surrey is the most expensive area outside of London, while York is the most expensive area in the North of England.
South Wales and Lancashire are the cheapest places to purchase property. In Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Burnley and Hyndburn, homes cost less than £1,000sqm.
Use the interactive map below to see how much a square metre of property costs in your local area and how it compares:
Meanwhile, the ONS data also found new build flats in England and Wales are 18% larger in the last three years, while new houses have remained broadly the same size.
The average house sold in England and Wales in 2016 had a floor area of 104sqm – that’s about two-fifths the size of a tennis court, or 70 times smaller than the football pitch at Wembley.
Flats averaged 49sqm, excluding bathrooms, corridors, hallways and landings – that is just over four times larger than a typical car-parking space.
Taking flats and houses together, the average size of properties sold in England and Wales in 2016 was 90sqm, which is marginally smaller than the EU average, and much smaller than new homes in the USA.
With a growing number of homeowners choosing to extend their properties rather than move property, it pays to know if doing so will add any value.
The ONS data could help reveal if an extension will increase the value of your property, although the value of an extension will depend on many things, such as the quality of construction, what type of room it is, and the exact location of the property within your local authority. Discover the costs and benefits of extending your kitchen.
Use this calculator, which incorporates average values for houses across local authority areas, to find out more.