Real life monopoly board not affordable for the average Londoner

Nicola TrotmanDecember 7, 2020

As property prices soar, no property on the original English monopoly board would be affordable to a Londoner on average wage, research has shown.

Homes in the most expensive areas on the board, Mayfair and Park Lane, are £350 ($576 AUD) on the board, but the average price in these areas today has soared to £1.4 million ($2,302,804 AUD).

The cheapest areas on the board, The Old Kent Road and Whitechapel Road, are £60 on the board, however have soared to £192,714 and £295,082 respectively.

Prices on the Monopoly board have not changed since 1936.

Angel Islington is more affordable on the board, however has surpassed Pentonville and Euston Road in terms of prices, having established itself as one of the capitals most cosmopolitan areas.

The average national salary for a Londoner working full time is £26,500 – meaning they wouldn’t stand much of a chance in purchasing Monopoly land in today’s property market.

“While drawing a comparison between the values placed on these areas in a board game and the actual average house prices provides a light-hearted look at the London property market, it does present a realistic picture of the capital’s most popular postcodes,” Craig McKinlay mortgage director at Halifax told the Evening Standard.

Research was based on office sales prices from the Land Registry for homes in the postcode area over the last five years.

Nicola Trotman

With a penchant for the written word, Nicola has built a career doing just this – now Creative Director at thriving Melbourne-based PR agency, Greenpoint Media.

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