Two market towns in Derbyshire have been ranked among the top ten most affordable places for first-time house buyers in England and Wales.

Chesterfield takes the runners-up position in the list of affordable market towns. The average first-time buyer price is £198,054 for which a 10% deposit of £19,805 is required and the illustrative mortage is about £1,014 a month. Famed for its Crooked Spire church, Chesterfield is £82,528 below the wider market town average.

Buxton is seventh in the league. First-time buyers In this Derbyshire spa town can expect to pay on average £224,896.10%, with a deposit of £22,490 and an illustrative mortgage coming in at about £1,152 a month.

Leek in Staffordshire has been named as the most affordable for first-time buyers in the latest published ranking of 116 market towns.

First-time buyers in two Derbyshire market towns can pick up houses for a much lower price than the national average (generic photo: Chlo&Sam Photography/Stock Adobe)

placeholder image — First-time buyers in two Derbyshire market towns can pick up houses for a much lower price than the national average (generic photo: Chlo&Sam Photography/Stock Adobe)

Every town in the top 10 is between 18% and 32% cheaper than the £280,582 first-time buyer market-town average.

Finance help specialists at Felons Support (https://freegrantsforfelons.org) reviewed the published prices using the cost-checking approach from its felons aid (https://freegrantsforfelons.org) coverage , showing where a first-home budget stretches furthest when money is tight. A financial assistance specialist said: “At these prices, moving from the market-town average to the cheapest entry could cut an illustrative mortgage bill by about £460 a month, enough to move buying from a distant goal to a workable budget for a household already balancing rent and deposit saving.”