Top locations to buy a home in the sun on a budget
Homes in some of the UK's sunniest locations can typically be snapped up for less than the average house price, a study has found.
Average prices for homes in around a third of the sunniest places to live - seven in 20 - are cheaper than the national average of £252,983, Halifax said.
The bank made the findings using Met Office figures - and said all of the 20 sunniest places to live are in the South East, the South West or the East of England.
Halifax said the best place for sun-seekers on a budget is Weymouth and Portland in Dorset, where a property which enjoys around 35.8 hours of sunshine per week costs an average of just £204,447 - £48,536, or 19%, less than the UK average.
Torbay, Gosport, the Isle of Wight, Hastings, Eastbourne and Dover were also identified as sunny locations with house prices below the national average.
But several sun spots do come at a premium.
The priciest in the study is Brighton and Hove - where home-buyers can typically expect to pay £367,213 - although they will also enjoy 34.3 hours of sunshine a week.
Andy Bickers, mortgages director, Halifax, said: "As a nation with a longstanding obsession with the weather, we usually associate sunshine with the South - as well as scorching house prices.
"The good news is that house-hunters after a place in the sun can max out the rays for less than the average UK house price in many of the hottest locations."
Here are the top 20 sunniest spots, ranked in order from the least expensive in house price terms to the most expensive, according to Halifax. Figures show weekly hours of sunshine followed by average house prices there.
1. Weymouth and Portland, South West, 35.8, £204,447
2. Torbay, South West, 33.9, £207,662
3. Gosport, South East, 33.6, £217,518
4. Isle of Wight, South East, 36.9, £223,608
5. Hastings, South East, 36.1, £236,100
6. Eastbourne, South East, 36.0, £248,291
7. Dover, South East, 35.0, £248,465
8. Arun, South East, 35.1, £267,651
9. Thanet, South East, 35.1, £268,825
10. Bournemouth, South West, 34.9, £273,015
11. Shepway, South East, 35.3, £275,961
12. Southend-on-Sea, East of England, 33.7, £309,426
13. Adur, South East, 34.3, £322,139
14. Christchurch, South West, 35.2, £323,956
15. Worthing, South East, 35.5, £327,908
16. Canterbury, South East, 33.7, £328,756
17. Maldon, East of England, 33.7, £350,367
18. Rother, South East, 35.0, £350,936
19. Rochford, East of England, 33.6, £352,251
20. Brighton and Hove, South East, 34.3, £367,213
