Knutsford is the most expensive place to buy a house in the North West, with average prices rising by over £81,000 over the last year.

The average home in the WA16 postcode area, which covers Knutsford, was £635,601 in the 12 months to October, according to the latest data from the Land Registry.

That’s an increase of 14.8% from £554,267 in the year to October 2022.

It’s the highest average price of any postcode district in the North West, research by the Reach Data Unit has shown.

Neighbouring WA15 - which covers Altrincham, Ashley, Hale, Hale Barns, Timperley and Ringway - had the next highest average.

Homes there cost an average of £604,358 each in the year to October. That’s a 0.2% drop (or £14,627) compared to the same time last year when the average home there cost £618,985.

The LA22 postcode district - Ambleside, Hawkshead, and Near Sawrey - had the next highest average at £576,818 (a 9.0% drop compared to last year). That’s followed by WA14 - Altrincham, Bowdon, Broadheath, Dunham Town, Timperley, Dunham Massey, Little Bollington - at £567,070 (a 3.5% drop), CW6 - Tarporley- at £546,392 (a 3.7% rise), SK9 - Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Handforth, and Styal - at £541,271 (a 2.2% drop), and LA23 - Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere, and Troutbeck - at £484,043 (an 11.9% drop).

The largest drop of any postcode district in our region which had at least 20 sales over the last 12 months was Hulme in Manchester.

The M15 area saw the average price of a home drop by 20.9% from £319,070 to £246,395.

However, that’s likely to be down to the sale of luxury apartments in new tower blocks last year skewing the figures .

Three flats in the area sold for over £1 million each in the 12 months to October 2022. No such sales were recorded in the last 12 months.

The CA26 postcode district - Frizington and Croasdale - also saw average prices drop by 20.9%, to £157,610. The BB11 district of Burnley, meanwhile, saw prices fall by 19.1% to £105,359, and M3 - which covers Manchester City Centre, Blackfriars and Trinity - saw average prices fall by 14.9% to £226,283.

You can see how prices have changed in your local area by using our interactive map

The UK picture

House prices fell by an average of £3,000 across the UK in the year to October.

The average house cost £288,000 in 12 months to October 2023, new data from the Land Registry has revealed.

That’s 1.2% lower than in the year to October 2022.

Average house prices decreased by 1.4% to £306,000 in England and by 3.0% to £214,000 in Wales, but increased by 0.2% in Scotland to £191,000.

Exclusive analysis by the Reach Data Unit can reveal how much prices have changed in each postcode district in the country.

The Buckingham Gate area of London had the largest annual increase in property prices of any area in the country to have had at least 20 house sales in the last 12 months.

The average home in SW1E - which covers the area just south of Buckingham Palace - cost £3.4 million in the 12 months to October.

That’s up by 74% compared to a year earlier when the average was just under £2.0 million. There were, however, only 16 house sales that year compared to 21 this time round.

The OX49 postcode district - which covers Watlington in Oxfordshire - experienced the next largest percentage increase.

Prices increased by 67% on average from £495,241 in the year to October 2022, to £828,062 in October 2023. That’s with a sale of 32 properties this year compared to 103 last year.

In CA23 - which covers Ennerdale Bridge in Cumbria - average prices rose by 45% from £114,974 last year to £166,590 this year.

The W1G postcode district - which covers Harley Street in London - had the largest percentage drop in the country.

Prices there fell by 42% over the last year, from £3.1 million in the year to October 2022 down to £1.8 million in the year to October 2023.

That’s followed by LL75 - Pentraeth in Anglesey - with average prices dropping by 41% to £223,438.

The W1K postcode district of Mayfair had the highest average in the country.

Homes there sold for an average of £8.5 million in the 12 months to October. That’s down from an average of £9.5m last October though.

The W1J area of Mayfair is next with an average of £5.3 million. That’s followed by W1S - Hanover Square - at just under £5.3 million, SW1X - Belgravia - at £4.4 million, W1B - Portland Street - at £3.5 million