LAST year saw the highest number of first time buyers in the UK in the last 13 years, with half of mortgages purchased during 2021 by first time buyers.

But how much would this cost people in the local area, looking to make their first step onto the property ladder?

The Herald contacted real estate company Zoopla to find out the average price of homes in the local area based off of sales in the last 12 months.

We also calculated how much your household income would have to be, to secure a mortgage for these properties - with most lenders allowing you to borrow 4.5x your average salary.

Far and away the most expensive place to buy is shown to be West Kilbride, with aspiring home owners required to earn two and half times more to purchase a home there in comparison to Kilbirnie.

In fact, the data shows West Kilbride to be more than twice as expensive as 60 per cent of the other areas researched.

Kilbirnie had the lowest average house price across the data gathered, being over £40,000 less expensive on average than the rest of the Garnock Valley.

Homes in Stevenston cost on average around £5,000 less than those in nearby Ardrossan, with a slightly larger leap of around £18,000 extra on average for a Saltcoats home.

The results were as follows:

Kilbirnie

Average house price - £97,530, Household income needed - £21,673

Stevenston

Average house price - £100,036, Household income needed - £22,230

Ardrossan

Average house price - £105,997, Household income needed - £23,555

Saltcoats

Average house price - £123,798, Household income needed - £27,511

Beith

Average house price - £139,362, Household income needed - £30,969

Dalry

Average house price - £139,448, Household income needed - £30,988

West Kilbride

Average house price - £250,679, Household income needed - £55,706