New analysis of 82 UK towns and cities reveals garden cost varies sharply by location – with major implications for mortgage valuations and client advice
New research from housebuilder Tilia Homes shows the garden cost premium on UK property ranges from near-zero to six figures. The study examined Zoopla listings across 82 cities and towns. It compared average asking prices for homes with and without a garden.
Nationally, properties with a garden cost an average of £75,598 – or 27.8% – more than those without one. For mortgage brokers advising clients on borrowing capacity or property value, the regional spread matters as much as the headline figure.
How much does garden cost vary across UK cities?
The gap is most pronounced in northern and coastal markets. Aberdeen leads all cities in the study. A garden there adds £111,090 to the asking price – a 77.6% difference between £254,277 (with garden) and £143,186 (without).
Sunderland and Liverpool follow closely. In Sunderland, a garden adds £96,587, lifting the average asking price from £146,501 to £243,088 – a 65.9% difference.
Liverpool’s gap is wider in absolute terms: £131,736, representing a 65.6% premium over the £200,920 baseline. Bradford and Plymouth round out the top five cities, each recording differences above 40%.
Heike O’Leary, chief sales and marketing officer at Tilia Homes, said the figures show just how much weight buyers now place on outdoor space. “Buyers are no longer treating a garden as a nice extra,” she said. “In many parts of the country it has become one of the biggest single factors in what a property is worth, and our figures show that gap can run into six figures.”
Brokers arranging mortgages in these markets should note the difference. The presence or absence of a garden can shift a comparable’s asking price significantly, affecting valuation and loan-to-value calculations.
| City | Without garden | With garden | Garden premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | £143,186 | £254,277 | +77.6% (£111,090) |
| Sunderland | £146,501 | £243,088 | +65.9% (£96,587) |
| Liverpool | £200,920 | £332,656 | +65.6% (£131,736) |
| Bradford | £177,757 | £256,439 | +44.3% (£78,682) |
| Plymouth | £220,043 | £309,351 | +40.6% (£89,309) |
What does garden cost look like in UK towns?
The town-level data produces even larger swings. Stevenage records the highest garden cost of any location in the study. There, a garden adds £232,752 to the asking price – a 79.9% difference between properties with one (£523,968) and without (£291,216).
Bournemouth is not far behind, at £168,059 added and a 61.6% gap. Worthing, Solihull, and Stockton-on-Tees each exceed 45%.
At the other end of the scale, the cost of a garden almost disappears in some markets. Doncaster records the smallest gap in the study. The difference between homes with a garden (£248,701) and without (£249,516) is just £815, or 0.3%.
London also bucks the national pattern. The capital’s garden premium stands at just £28,510 – against average asking prices of £881,962 with a garden and £853,452 without. Newport and Coventry both recorded differences below 5%.
Among towns, Cheltenham showed the smallest garden cost at £17,690 – a 3.8% gap – with Nuneaton and Huddersfield similarly modest.
| Town | Without garden | With garden | Garden premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenage | £291,216 | £523,968 | +79.9% (£232,752) |
| Bournemouth | £272,865 | £440,923 | +61.6% (£168,059) |
| Worthing | £296,285 | £454,745 | +53.5% (£158,460) |
| Solihull | £341,398 | £503,109 | +47.4% (£161,711) |
| Stockton-on-Tees | £157,972 | £231,635 | +46.6% (£73,663) |
Does location explain the garden cost gap?
O’Leary pointed to a coastal pattern within the data. Four of the five cities with the highest garden cost – Aberdeen, Sunderland, Liverpool, and Plymouth – are coastal. Every location on both cheapest-for-a-garden lists sits inland.
“It tells us that garden value is not simply about how expensive an area already is,” she said. “In cities where land and space are already at a premium, buyers appear to place less additional weight on a garden specifically, whereas in other markets it can become the deciding factor between two otherwise similar homes.”
Consumer appetite for outdoor space appears to be growing. An estimated 27 million people in the UK now describe themselves as gardeners, according to the study. Tilia Homes also found that 83% of millennials now consider gardening an appealing pastime rather than an obligation.
The research arrives as seller confidence returns to the UK housing market in 2026. For brokers, it is a reminder that outdoor space is far from a standard line item.
For brokers helping clients assess the true cost of moving between UK regions, garden cost is part of the calculation. Whether the market is Aberdeen or Doncaster, the difference can be substantial.
Want to be regularly updated with mortgage news and features? Get exclusive interviews, breaking news, and industry events in your inbox – subscribe to our FREE daily newsletter. You can also follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
