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Local market reports › EC

EC local market report Central London

Every figure on this page comes from the public record: 26,347 sales registered with HM Land Registry in the EC postcode area (Central London) since 1995, each one a completed purchase at a real price, plus current rental figures from the ONS. Nothing here is a valuation, an estimate or an asking price.

Sales data to May 2026. Rents: ONS, May 2026. Regenerated with every monthly data refresh.

EC is the postcode area centred on Central London, taking in 22 districts. Figures this wide smooth over big local differences, so use the district reports below for anywhere specific.

Where EC sits

Click the map to open EC on the live map, with every sale plotted at its address. The average pricing view shades the whole country the same way.

WCEC
£665,000median sold price, 2026
-26%five-year change (cash)
371sales in the last 12 months
5.7%gross rental yield (est.)

What a home in EC sells for

The 2026 median in EC is £665,000, from 91 registered sales; the mean, £1,364,600, sits well above it, the signature of a heavy top tail: a handful of expensive sales lifting the average.

For scale: the England and Wales median is £274,000, so EC trades 143% above the country as a whole.

The price of a typical EC home, 1995 to 2026

The median as recorded at the time, and each year restated in today's money (ONS CPIH), the sharper test of whether homes really got dearer. Hover for the year-by-year figures; click a legend entry to isolate a series.

Price at the timeIn today's money (CPIH)
£500k£1.00M£1.50M£2M1995200020052010201520202026 1995: £112,500 at the time · £238,846 in today's money · 327 sales1996: £129,800 at the time · £267,349 in today's money · 539 sales1997: £160,000 at the time · £320,464 in today's money · 782 sales1998: £182,400 at the time · £359,589 in today's money · 1,040 sales1999: £197,500 at the time · £384,415 in today's money · 1,407 sales2000: £230,000 at the time · £440,833 in today's money · 986 sales2001: £250,000 at the time · £469,388 in today's money · 1,053 sales2002: £283,000 at the time · £520,027 in today's money · 1,055 sales2003: £290,000 at the time · £521,773 in today's money · 1,049 sales2004: £291,000 at the time · £516,170 in today's money · 785 sales2005: £320,000 at the time · £556,171 in today's money · 740 sales2006: £350,000 at the time · £593,366 in today's money · 856 sales2007: £438,000 at the time · £725,618 in today's money · 861 sales2008: £400,000 at the time · £640,371 in today's money · 485 sales2009: £423,000 at the time · £664,096 in today's money · 539 sales2010: £467,500 at the time · £716,038 in today's money · 677 sales2011: £465,000 at the time · £685,577 in today's money · 675 sales2012: £500,000 at the time · £718,750 in today's money · 660 sales2013: £625,500 at the time · £879,012 in today's money · 1,032 sales2014: £741,500 at the time · £1,027,380 in today's money · 912 sales2015: £750,000 at the time · £1,035,000 in today's money · 983 sales2016: £790,000 at the time · £1,079,406 in today's money · 955 sales2017: £800,000 at the time · £1,065,637 in today's money · 736 sales2018: £862,800 at the time · £1,123,268 in today's money · 936 sales2019: £880,000 at the time · £1,126,531 in today's money · 1,135 sales2020: £915,000 at the time · £1,159,504 in today's money · 779 sales2021: £899,300 at the time · £1,112,038 in today's money · 985 sales2022: £886,500 at the time · £1,015,245 in today's money · 717 sales2023: £912,600 at the time · £979,306 in today's money · 846 sales2024: £850,000 at the time · £882,619 in today's money · 1,186 sales2025: £742,500 at the time · £742,500 in today's money · 538 sales2026: £665,000 at the time · £665,000 in today's money · 91 sales
See this chart as a table
YearMedian (cash)Median (today's £)Sales
2026£665,000£665,00091
2025£742,500£742,500538
2024£850,000£882,6191,186
2023£912,600£979,306846
2022£886,500£1,015,245717
2021£899,300£1,112,038985
2020£915,000£1,159,504779
2019£880,000£1,126,5311,135
2018£862,800£1,123,268936
2017£800,000£1,065,637736
2016£790,000£1,079,406955
2015£750,000£1,035,000983
2014£741,500£1,027,380912
2013£625,500£879,0121,032
2012£500,000£718,750660
2011£465,000£685,577675
2010£467,500£716,038677
2009£423,000£664,096539
2008£400,000£640,371485
2007£438,000£725,618861
2006£350,000£593,366856
2005£320,000£556,171740
2004£291,000£516,170785
2003£290,000£521,7731,049
2002£283,000£520,0271,055
2001£250,000£469,3881,053
2000£230,000£440,833986
1999£197,500£384,4151,407
1998£182,400£359,5891,040
1997£160,000£320,464782
1996£129,800£267,349539
1995£112,500£238,846327

In cash terms the typical EC home went from £112,500 in 1995 to £665,000 in 2026, roughly 6 times the price. Even after inflation that is a real rise of about 178%: homes here genuinely became dearer, not just more expensive on paper. Measured in today's money the market peaked in 2020; the current median sits about 43% below that. Someone who bought at the 2020 peak has not yet seen that price back in real terms.

Year-on-year change in the EC median

Each bar is the change on the year before, in cash. The zero line is the boundary between rising and falling.

+50% -50% 0% 1996 · +15.4% on the year before1997 · +23.3% on the year before1998 · +14.0% on the year before1999 · +8.3% on the year before2000 · +16.5% on the year before2001 · +8.7% on the year before2002 · +13.2% on the year before2003 · +2.5% on the year before2004 · +0.3% on the year before2005 · +10.0% on the year before2006 · +9.4% on the year before2007 · +25.1% on the year before2008 · −8.7% on the year before2009 · +5.8% on the year before2010 · +10.5% on the year before2011 · −0.5% on the year before2012 · +7.5% on the year before2013 · +25.1% on the year before2014 · +18.5% on the year before2015 · +1.1% on the year before2016 · +5.3% on the year before2017 · +1.3% on the year before2018 · +7.8% on the year before2019 · +2.0% on the year before2020 · +4.0% on the year before2021 · −1.7% on the year before2022 · −1.4% on the year before2023 · +2.9% on the year before2024 · −6.9% on the year before2025 · −12.6% on the year before2026 · −10.4% on the year before200020052010201520202026

The strongest year on record here is 2007 (+25.1% on the year before); the weakest, 2025 (−12.6%). Single-year swings like these are why the annualised table below matters more than any one year's headline.

Annualised returns

PeriodCash, per yearReal terms, per year
1 years (since 2025)−10.4%−10.4%
5 years (since 2021)−5.9%−9.8%
10 years (since 2016)−1.7%−4.7%
20 years (since 2006)+3.3%+0.6%

Compound annual growth of the median sold price; the real column deflates by ONS CPIH. Annualised figures smooth the cycle (the chart above shows the cycle), and past growth is a record, not a forecast.

Transaction volumes

How many homes change hands

Recorded sales per year. The dip after 2008 is the financial crisis; the last bar is still filling in as recent sales get registered.

1,0002,000 1995: 327 sales1996: 539 sales1997: 782 sales1998: 1,040 sales1999: 1,407 sales2000: 986 sales2001: 1,053 sales2002: 1,055 sales2003: 1,049 sales2004: 785 sales2005: 740 sales2006: 856 sales2007: 861 sales2008: 485 sales2009: 539 sales2010: 677 sales2011: 675 sales2012: 660 sales2013: 1,032 sales2014: 912 sales2015: 983 sales2016: 955 sales2017: 736 sales2018: 936 sales2019: 1,135 sales2020: 779 sales2021: 985 sales2022: 717 sales2023: 846 sales2024: 1,186 sales2025: 538 sales2026: 91 sales1995200020052010201520202026

The last five years, month by month

Monthly registrations. The sawtooth is seasonal; the register runs weeks behind completions at the right-hand edge.

250500 June 2021 · 278 sales registeredJuly 2021 · 41 sales registeredAugust 2021 · 50 sales registeredSeptember 2021 · 95 sales registeredOctober 2021 · 52 sales registeredNovember 2021 · 53 sales registeredDecember 2021 · 73 sales registeredJanuary 2022 · 39 sales registeredFebruary 2022 · 47 sales registeredMarch 2022 · 73 sales registeredApril 2022 · 62 sales registeredMay 2022 · 60 sales registeredJune 2022 · 78 sales registeredJuly 2022 · 65 sales registeredAugust 2022 · 65 sales registeredSeptember 2022 · 64 sales registeredOctober 2022 · 56 sales registeredNovember 2022 · 54 sales registeredDecember 2022 · 54 sales registeredJanuary 2023 · 39 sales registeredFebruary 2023 · 36 sales registeredMarch 2023 · 119 sales registeredApril 2023 · 70 sales registeredMay 2023 · 53 sales registeredJune 2023 · 63 sales registeredJuly 2023 · 54 sales registeredAugust 2023 · 108 sales registeredSeptember 2023 · 117 sales registeredOctober 2023 · 84 sales registeredNovember 2023 · 53 sales registeredDecember 2023 · 50 sales registeredJanuary 2024 · 37 sales registeredFebruary 2024 · 206 sales registeredMarch 2024 · 117 sales registeredApril 2024 · 130 sales registeredMay 2024 · 104 sales registeredJune 2024 · 57 sales registeredJuly 2024 · 101 sales registeredAugust 2024 · 81 sales registeredSeptember 2024 · 100 sales registeredOctober 2024 · 101 sales registeredNovember 2024 · 103 sales registeredDecember 2024 · 49 sales registeredJanuary 2025 · 54 sales registeredFebruary 2025 · 50 sales registeredMarch 2025 · 95 sales registeredApril 2025 · 25 sales registeredMay 2025 · 34 sales registeredJune 2025 · 37 sales registeredJuly 2025 · 49 sales registeredAugust 2025 · 44 sales registeredSeptember 2025 · 41 sales registeredOctober 2025 · 42 sales registeredNovember 2025 · 39 sales registeredDecember 2025 · 28 sales registeredJanuary 2026 · 20 sales registeredFebruary 2026 · 22 sales registeredMarch 2026 · 26 sales registeredApril 2026 · 12 sales registeredMay 2026 · 11 sales registered

EC recorded 371 sales in the last twelve months of data. Like most of England and Wales, turnover never fully recovered from 2008: the market here averaged 923 sales a year before the financial crisis and 676 a year over the last five. Volume matters as much as price: when few homes change hands, the median gets jumpy and a single street can move the figure. The most recent year is always still filling in, because sales appear in the Land Registry weeks or months after completion.

What homes rent for around EC

EC falls under Westminster, the local authority covering most of the EC area (parts fall under Islington and Camden, where rents differ), where the ONS puts the average private rent at £3,163 a month (May 2026 figures). A one-bed averages £2,517 a month here and a four-or-more-bed £5,378, so size does most of the work in setting the rent.

Average monthly rent by size, Westminster

ONS Price Index of Private Rents, May 2026.

1 bed: £2,517 a month£2,5171 bed2 bed: £3,268 a month£3,2682 bed3 bed: £3,849 a month£3,8493 bed4+ bed: £5,378 a month£5,3784+ bed

Set against the £665,000 median sold price, £3,163 a month is £37,956 a year, a gross yield of 5.7%: gross, before letting costs, voids, maintenance and tax, so a ceiling rather than a promise. Rents are published at local-authority level, so nearby districts in the same authority share these figures.

Will EC prices rise from here?

Nobody can tell you that, and this page will not pretend to. What the record shows: the median is down 26% over five years in cash but down 40% after inflation. If you are weighing a purchase, read the volume chart alongside the price one, and remember that every figure here is a completed sale, lagged by the weeks it takes the Land Registry to register it.

Ladders and snakes: five-year risers and fallers

The spread across the EC area is the point: the same five years treated these districts very differently.

Five-year change in the median, EC area districts

The biggest risers and fallers in cash terms; every row links to that district's report.

EC2VEC2V · +715% over five years · median £10,655,000+715%EC3VEC3V · +503% over five years · median £18,650,000+503%EC4MEC4M · +394% over five years · median £592,500+394%EC3AEC3A · +283% over five years · median £1,914,900+283%EC2MEC2M · +176% over five years · median £3,377,500+176%EC1NEC1N · −40% over five years · median £552,100−40%EC2AEC2A · −51% over five years · median £465,000−51%EC1AEC1A · −55% over five years · median £665,000−55%EC2REC2R · −72% over five years · median £1,850,000−72%EC4REC4R · −74% over five years · median £547,500−74%

District by district

The area medians above hide a lot. Here is every EC district with enough sales to measure, dearest first; each links to its own full report.

DistrictMedian (2026)5-yearSales
EC4N Mansion House£91,500,000+1104%6
EC3V Cornhill, Gracechurch Street£18,650,000+503%7
EC2V Guildhall£10,655,000+715%7
EC3M Lloyd's of London, Fenchurch Street£4,028,100-28%5
EC2M Broadgate, Liverpool Street£3,377,500+176%12
EC3A St Mary Axe, Aldgate£1,914,900+283%8
EC2R Bank of England£1,850,000-72%5
EC3R Monument, Billingsgate£1,300,000+159%9
EC4Y Temple£765,000-37%6
EC1V Finsbury (east), Moorfields Eye Hospital£745,000-17%28
EC1A St Bartholomew's Hospital£665,000-55%30
EC2Y Barbican£665,000-17%11
EC1M Clerkenwell, Farringdon£660,000-27%7
EC4V Blackfriars£637,500-32%18
EC1Y St Luke's, Bunhill Fields£615,000-23%33
EC1R Finsbury, Finsbury Estate (west)£595,000-25%13
EC4M St Paul's£592,500+394%6
EC1N Hatton Garden£552,100-40%14
EC4R Cannon Street£547,500-74%6
EC4A Fetter Lane£537,500+6%11
EC3N Tower Hill, Tower of London£520,000-29%5
EC2A Shoreditch£465,000-51%8

Dig further

See every individual EC sale on the live map, mapped to the exact address, or the quick-reference EC price page. The report tool writes a custom answer to a specific question, and the mortgage and rent calculator on any sale runs the numbers on a real purchase.

How this page is made: the statistics are computed from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (Crown copyright, OGL v3.0), geocoded to address level; inflation adjustment uses the ONS CPIH index; rents are the ONS Price Index of Private Rents at local-authority level. Medians of recorded sales, not valuations. Nothing on this page is financial advice.