New research from UK housebuilder, Tilia Homes, has found that homes with a garden cost an average of £75,598, or 27.8%, more than equivalent properties without one.

The study, which examined Zoopla listings across 82 of the UK’s biggest cities and towns, set out to establish how much outdoor space is really worth to buyers, and whether that value changes depending on where in the country you are looking.

More people in the UK are gardening than ever before, with an estimated 27 million people now describing themselves as gardeners. Even younger buyers, often assumed to prioritise city living over private outdoor space, appear to have shifted their view, with 83% of millennials now considering gardening to be a genuinely appealing pastime rather than an obligation that comes with home ownership.

Where a Garden Costs the Most

In terms of UK cities, Aberdeen leads the way for the steepest cost of a garden, at £111,090, or 77.6%, taking the average asking price from £143,186 without one to £254,277 with one.

Sunderland comes a close second, with the cost of a garden adding £96,587 to the average asking price, taking it from £146,501 without one to £243,088 with one, a difference of 65.9%.

In Liverpool, the gap is nearly as wide, at £131,736, or 65.6%, between the £200,920 average without a garden and £332,656 with one.

Top 5 UK cities Where a Garden Costs the Most (ranked by % cost difference)

1. Aberdeen: 77.6% difference in asking price (£111,090) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £254,277) vs without (avg. asking price: £143,186)
2. Sunderland: 65.9% difference in asking price (£96,587) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £243,088) vs without (avg. asking price: £146,501)
3. Liverpool: 65.6% difference in asking price (£131,736) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £332,656) vs without (avg. asking price: £200,920)
4. Bradford: 44.3% difference in asking price (£78,682) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £256,439) vs without (avg. asking price: £177,757)
5. Plymouth: 40.6% difference in asking price (£89,309) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £309,351) vs without (avg. asking price: £220,043)
A similar pattern shows up among towns, though the figures involved are, even larger in places. Stevenage records the largest gap of any town in the study, where the cost of a garden is £232,752, taking the average asking price from £291,216 without one to £523,968 with one, a difference of almost 80%. Bournemouth isn’t far behind, where the cost of a garden adds £168,059 to the asking price, a difference of 61.6%.

Top 5 UK Towns Where a Garden Costs the Most (ranked by % cost difference)

1. Stevenage: 79.9% difference in asking price (£232,752) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £523,968) vs without (avg. asking price: £291,216)
2. Bournemouth: 61.6% difference in asking price (£168,059) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £440,923) vs without (avg. asking price: £272,865)
3. Worthing: 53.5% difference in asking price (£158,460) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £454,745) vs without (avg. asking price: £296,285)
4. Solihull: 47.4% difference in asking price (£161,711) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £503,109) vs without (avg. asking price: £341,398)
5. Stockton-on-Tees: 46.6% difference in asking price (£73,663) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £231,635) vs without (avg. asking price: £157,972)
Heike O’Leary, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Tilia Homes, said the figures show just how much weight buyers now place on outdoor space when choosing a home. “Buyers are no longer treating a garden as a nice extra,” she said. “In many parts of the country it has become one of the biggest single factors in what a property is worth, and our figures show that gap can run into six figures.”

Where the Price Difference Almost Disappears

A handful of cities in the study showed the opposite pattern, where the cost of a garden narrows to almost nothing. Doncaster recorded the smallest difference of any location in the study, with the average asking price for homes with a garden stands at £248,701 against £249,516 for those without one, a gap of just 0.3%.

London also bucked the national trend, where the cost of a garden is just £28,510, despite average asking prices in the capital exceeding £850,000. Newport and Coventry recorded a similarly small gap, each under 5%.

Top 5 UK Cities Where a Garden Costs the Least (ranked by % cost difference)

· 1. Doncaster: gardens make almost no difference here. Homes with a garden have an average asking price of £248,701, just £815 (0.3%) less than the £249,516 average asking price without one

· 2. London: 3.3% difference in asking price (£28,510) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £881,962) vs without (avg. asking price: £853,452)

· 3. Newport: 4.8% difference in asking price (£13,489) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £295,932) vs without (avg. asking price: £282,443)

· 4. Coventry: 5.0% difference in asking price (£13,271) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £276,423) vs without (avg. asking price: £263,151)

· 5. Nottingham: 11.0% difference in asking price (£29,904) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £301,519) vs without (avg. asking price: £271,615)

When it comes to towns, a similar pattern emerges, with a handful showing barely any difference at all between homes with a garden and those without. Cheltenham shows the smallest garden cost of any town in the study (£17,690), taking the average asking price from £465,667 without one to £483,356 with one, a gap of only 3.8%. Nuneaton and Huddersfield both record a similarly modest gap, at close to 5%.

Top 5 UK Towns Where a Garden Costs the Least (ranked by % cost difference)

1. Cheltenham: 3.8% difference in asking price (£17,690) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £483,356) vs without (avg. asking price: £465,667)
2. Nuneaton: 5.1% difference in asking price (£13,987) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £288,091) vs without (avg. asking price: £274,104)
3. Huddersfield: 5.4% difference in asking price (£13,606) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £263,382) vs without (avg. asking price: £249,776)
4. Sutton Coldfield: 5.7% difference in asking price (£30,445) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £560,770) vs without (avg. asking price: £530,324)
5. Telford: 6.1% difference in asking price (£16,159) between homes with a garden (avg. asking price: £280,643) vs without (avg. asking price: £264,484)
O’Leary said these results were just as revealing as the cities showing the biggest differences. “It tells us that garden value is not simply about how expensive an area already is,” she said. “In cities where land and space are already at a premium, buyers appear to place less additional weight on a garden specifically, whereas in other markets it can become the deciding factor between two otherwise similar homes.”

What This Means for Buyers

For those weighing up whether to prioritise a garden in their next move, the research suggests the answer depends heavily on location. In cities such as Aberdeen, Sunderland and Liverpool, and towns such as Stevenage and Bournemouth, a garden could represent one of the more significant factors in a property’s asking price.

However, in cities such as Doncaster or London, and towns like Cheltenham or Nuneaton, buyers may find outdoor space adds little to no extra cost at all.

When it comes to our coastal areas, there is an interesting pattern in the study that is worth highlighting. Four of the five cities with the biggest garden cost, Aberdeen, Sunderland, Liverpool and Plymouth, are coastal, while every location on both “cheapest for a garden” lists, cities and towns alike, sits inland. It’s a small sample to draw firm conclusions from, but it does suggest that a garden may carry more weight for buyers in seaside markets than elsewhere.

“Our advice to anyone house hunting is to look closely at how gardens are priced in their specific area rather than assuming a national average applies,” O’Leary added. “The difference between markets in this research was so wide that a garden could add tens of thousands of pounds in one city and almost nothing in another.”