You'll have to pay an extra £119,000 to live in a National Park

Across England and Wales, a home in a National Park costs nearly 12 times local annual wages on average, according to research from Lloyds Bank, providing fresh evidence of the challenge for local people to find affordable housing.

House prices in 12 National Parks looked at by Lloyds were around £118,711 or 49 per cent above the average for their surrounding county.

An average home in a National Park was worth just over £360,670, while one in the surrounding county was valued at just under £241,960.

The average home in the Yorkshire Dales costs £304,354, the research found, a 43 per cent premium on the average cost in the surrounding area of £212,855.

The premium in the Peak District National Park is a staggering 94 per cent, with the average price inside running at £336,718 compared to £173,957 outside.

But the difference is marginal for the North York Moors, where the average price is £247,788, compared to £235,521 in the surrounding area.

Properties in the New Forest commanded £286,442 more than homes in the surrounding area on average, the research found.

This was the highest price premium in the survey and meant buyers could expect to pay nearly double the amount they would spend on a home situated just outside the New Forest.

Snowdonia in Wales was found to be the only National Park where property values were lower than those in the surrounding area.

Buyers in the area pay around £5,700 less than they would for a home nearby.

A home in Snowdonia cost six-and-a-half times local average annual earnings, compared with an average multiple of 11.6 times earnings across all the National Parks included in the research.

This made Snowdonia the most affordable National Park in the research.

At the other end of the spectrum, someone buying a home in the New Forest would need to find 15.3 times the local annual wage.

Andrew Mason, Lloyds Bank mortgage products director, said: “Quality of life and an attractive environment are two major factors for people eyeing their next home move, and our National Parks provide both of these in abundance.

“It’s therefore not surprising to learn that many homemovers are prepared to pay a premium to live in some of the most beautiful parts of the country.

“These highly attractive areas are also very popular with second home purchasers.

“However, as some of the homes in these areas can cost as much as 15 times the local average wage, there is a risk that some people living and working in these areas could be priced out of the market.”