An analysis by Mojo Mortgages looked at all 3,236 properties currently for sale with an asking price of £255,000 - £265,000 in the UK's top 45 most populous towns and cities.
Radical action is needed to turn around a slump in the number of people able realise their home owning dream, according to the Building Societies Association.
Houses in the UK cost an average of £282,000, according to the government's latest house price index data. That's a decrease of 0.6% compared to a year earlier.