UK House Price Index Wales: May 2023
Published 19 July 2023
© Crown copyright 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-house-price-index-for-may-2023/uk-house-price-index-wales-may-2023
1. Headline statistics for May 2023
The average price of a property in Wales was £213,374
The annual price change of a property for Wales was 1.8%
The monthly price change of a property for Wales was 0.6%
The index figure for Wales (January 2015 = 100) was 156.7
Estimates for the most recent months are provisional and are likely to be updated as more data is incorporated into the index. Read the revision policies.
Next publication of UK HPI
The June 2023 UK HPI will be published at 9.30am on Wednesday 16 August 2023. See the calendar of release dates for more information.
2. Economic statement
Average house prices in Wales increased by 1.8% in the 12 months to May 2023. This was up from 1.7% in the 12 months to April 2023 and was slower than the average UK house price annual inflation of 1.9% in the 12 months to May 2023.
On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in Wales increased by 0.6% between April 2023 and May 2023, compared with an increase of 0.5% during the same period 12 months ago. On a seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in Wales increased by 0.1% between April 2023 and May 2023.
Comparing the provisional UK HPI volume estimate for March 2022 with the provisional UK HPI estimate for March 2023, the volume of transactions decreased by 8.0% in Wales and by 9.6% in the UK.
In Wales, 17 local authority areas showed an increase in average house prices in the 12 months to May 2023. Monmouthshire showed the highest annual percentage change, rising by 7.4% to £367,000 in the 12 months to May 2023. In contrast, Pembrokeshire showed the lowest annual percentage change, decreasing by 1.3% to £233,000 in the 12 months to May 2023.
In Wales, flats and maisonettes showed the highest annual inflation out of all property types, rising by 2.6% in the 12 months to May 2023 to £137,000. Semi-detached houses showed the lowest annual inflation, rising by 0.9% in the 12 months to May 2023, to an average price of £205,000.
As with other indicators in the housing market, which typically fluctuate from month to month, it is important not to put too much weight on one month’s set of house price data.
3. Price change
3.1 Annual price change
Annual price change for Wales over the past 5 years
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
In Wales, average prices increased by 1.8% in the 12 months to May 2023, up from 1.7% in April 2023.
Annual price change by local authority for Wales
Low numbers of sales transactions in some local authorities can lead to volatility in the series.
While we make efforts to account for this volatility, the change in price in these local levels can be influenced by the type and number of properties sold in any given period.
Geographies with low number of sales transactions should be analysed in the context of their longer-term trends rather than focusing on monthly movements.
| Local authorities | May 2023 | May 2022 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | £129,372 | £125,868 | 2.8% |
| Bridgend | £200,641 | £197,848 | 1.4% |
| Caerphilly | £178,834 | £173,176 | 3.3% |
| Cardiff | £267,101 | £253,571 | 5.3% |
| Carmarthenshire | £205,498 | £197,422 | 4.1% |
| Ceredigion | £247,368 | £248,127 | -0.3% |
| Conwy | £213,459 | £206,881 | 3.2% |
| Denbighshire | £204,298 | £193,477 | 5.6% |
| Flintshire | £217,336 | £205,806 | 5.6% |
| Gwynedd | £203,955 | £205,604 | -0.8% |
| Isle of Anglesey | £226,459 | £228,652 | -1.0% |
| Merthyr Tydfil | £155,075 | £144,485 | 7.3% |
| Monmouthshire | £367,223 | £341,995 | 7.4% |
| Neath Port Talbot | £162,517 | £154,005 | 5.5% |
| Newport | £234,334 | £227,726 | 2.9% |
| Pembrokeshire | £233,389 | £236,550 | -1.3% |
| Powys | £239,130 | £239,588 | -0.2% |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | £153,099 | £149,370 | 2.5% |
| Swansea | £191,370 | £189,881 | 0.8% |
| Torfaen | £193,029 | £187,422 | 3.0% |
| Vale of Glamorgan | £311,122 | £302,166 | 3.0% |
| Wrexham | £201,129 | £194,827 | 3.2% |
| Wales | £213,374 | £209,599 | 1.8% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
Average price by local authority for Wales
In May 2023, the most expensive area to purchase a property was Monmouthshire, where the average cost was £367,000. In contrast, the cheapest area to purchase a property was Blaenau Gwent, where the average cost was £129,000..
3.2 Average price change by property type
Average price change by property type for Wales
| Property type | May 2023 | May 2022 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £326,767 | £320,304 | 2.0% |
| Semi-detached | £205,423 | £203,512 | 0.9% |
| Terraced | £167,078 | £163,720 | 2.1% |
| Flat or maisonette | £136,517 | £133,100 | 2.6% |
| All | £213,374 | £209,599 | 1.8% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
4. Sales volumes
The amount of time between the sale of a property and the registration of this information varies. It typically ranges between 2 weeks and 2 months but can be longer. Volume figures for the most recent 2 months are not yet at a reliable level for reporting, so they are not included in the report. Published transactions for recent months will increase as later registered transactions are incorporated into the index.
Sales volume data is also available by property status (new build and existing property) and funding status (cash and mortgage) in our downloadable data tables. Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and require more time to process. Read Revisions to the UK HPI data for more information.
4.1 Sales volumes by local authority
Sales volumes for Wales by local authority
Comparing the provisional volume estimate for the current month with the revised volume estimate for the corresponding month in the previous year
| Local authorities | March 2023 | March 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | 35 | 86 |
| Bridgend | 112 | 198 |
| Caerphilly | 124 | 197 |
| Cardiff | 272 | 386 |
| Carmarthenshire | 143 | 225 |
| Ceredigion | 48 | 71 |
| Conwy | 127 | 175 |
| Denbighshire | 85 | 138 |
| Flintshire | 119 | 187 |
| Gwynedd | 110 | 133 |
| Isle of Anglesey | 43 | 72 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 42 | 79 |
| Monmouthshire | 61 | 111 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 130 | 156 |
| Newport | 116 | 181 |
| Pembrokeshire | 122 | 161 |
| Powys | 83 | 147 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 176 | 304 |
| Swansea | 184 | 297 |
| Torfaen | 71 | 112 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 99 | 174 |
| Wrexham | 91 | 127 |
| Wales | 2,393 | 3,717 |
Note: The ‘Difference’ column has been removed from this table as the latest month’s data are not yet complete.
Note: The number of property transactions for March 2023 will increase as more transactions are incorporated into the index. See our Revisions Policy for more information.
Comparing the provisional UK HPI volume estimate for March 2022 with the provisional UK HPI estimate for March 2023, volume transactions decreased by 8.0% in Wales.
UK Property Transaction Statistics published by HM Revenue & Customs (which differ in coverage but are more complete for this period) report that on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, HMRC volume transactions decreased by 15.6% in Wales in the 12 months to March 2023.
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
4.2 Sales volumes
Sales volumes for Wales over the past 5 years
| Date | Sales volumes for Wales |
|---|---|
| March 2019 | 3,639 |
| March 2020 | 3,340 |
| March 2021 | 5,040 |
| March 2022 | 3,717 |
| March 2023 | 2,393 |
Download this chart’s data (CSV, 1KB)
5. Property status
Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and need more time to process. This means they can take longer to appear in the land registers. The volume of new build transactions for the most recent 2 months are not at a reliable level for reporting the breakdown between new build and existing resold property, so they are not included in the report.
New build and existing resold property for Wales
| Property status | Average price March 2023 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New build | £339,170 | 1.1% | 21.1% |
| Existing resold property | £209,387 | -0.4% | 4.8% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
Note: Since the October 2017 release, amendments have been made to our estimation model when calculating our provisional estimate. Find out further information and the impact of this change in methods used to produce the UK HPI.
6. Buyer status
First time buyer and former owner occupier for Wales
| Type of buyer | Average price May 2023 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| First time buyer | £183,564 | 0.9% | 1.7% |
| Former owner occupier | £248,540 | 0.3% | 2.0% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
7. Funding status
Cash and mortgage indicator for Wales
| Funding status | Average price May 2023 | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | £205,800 | 0.6% | 1.6% |
| Mortgage | £217,724 | 0.6% | 1.9% |
Download this table’s data (CSV, 1KB)
8. Repossession sales volume
Due to a period of 2 weeks to 2 months between completion and registration of sales, repossession volume figures for the most recent 2 months are not yet complete, so they are not included in the report.
Repossession sales volume
| Country | Repossession sales volume March 2023 |
|---|---|
| Wales | 6 |
Download the data for England and Wales (CSV, 7KB)
9. Access the data
Download the data as CSV files or access it with our UK HPI tool.
Data revisions
View any revisions to previously published data in the data downloads or find out more about revisions in our guidance About the UK HPI.
10. About the UK House Price Index
The UK House Price Index (UK HPI) is calculated by the Office for National Statistics and Land & Property Services Northern Ireland. Find out about the methodology used to create the UK HPI.
Data for the UK House Price Index is provided by HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, The Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency and the Valuation Office Agency.
Find out more about the UK House Price Index.
11. Contact for Wales queries
Eileen Morrison, Data Services Team Leader, HM Land Registry
Email eileen.morrison@landregistry.gov.uk
Telephone 0300 006 5288