House prices have risen, on average, by a third across British seaside towns over the past decade, according to the latest research from Halifax.

During the last 10 years, the average house price in seaside towns rose by 31% or £49,207 – equivalent to £410 per month – from £159,522 to £208,729.

However, Halifax said there is a marked north-south divide in property values in seaside towns, with all 10 of the most expensive seaside towns in southern England, and seven in the south west alone.

Both in the south west, Salcombe (£672,874) in Devon and Sandbanks (£614,726) in Dorset are the two most expensive seaside towns in Great Britain. Outside the south west, the most expensive seaside towns are Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast with an average price of £413,393, Lymington in the New Forest (£404,781), and East Wittering in West Sussex (£330,146).

Outside southern England, the most expensive seaside areas are the Scottish towns of St. Andrews (£294,586), North Berwick (£294,076) and Stonehaven (£243,741), together with the Mumbles in South Wales (£271,349).

The biggest house price rises in the average price of seaside towns over the past decade were all recorded in Scotland. Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire recorded the largest rise, with a 109% increase in property values from £63,540 in 2005 to £132,920 in 2015. Lerwick in the Shetlands and Peterhead in Aberdeenshire saw the next largest rises (both 102%).

Outside Scotland, the biggest increase in average prices during the last 10 years was recorded in Salcombe (69%), followed by Workington in Cumbria (60%), and Brighton (58%).

House prices have continued to increase in several seaside towns over the past year. Newtonhill in Aberdeenshire and Shoreham by the Sea recorded the largest average price growth in the last 12 months, with increases of 20% – four times the average increase for all seaside towns in the past year (5%). The next biggest price rises were in Sandwich in Kent, Watchet in Somerset (both 18%), Seaton on the Devon coast (17%) and Dalgety Bay in Fife (16%).

Despite the high house price growth in many Scottish seaside towns since 2005 eight of the 10 least expensive seaside towns are located north of the border. Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute is the least expensive seaside town in this survey, with an average property price of £73,539. This is almost £600,000 lower than in Salcombe – Britain’s most expensive seaside town.

Just ahead of Port Bannatyne are Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in Northumberland and Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute, with an average house price of £81,339 and £85,659 respectively. In all, there are 13 towns in this survey with an average price below £100,000.

Away from northern Britain, the least expensive seaside towns are Lowestoft with an average property value of £153,025, followed by Great Yarmouth (£159,965), and Margate (£164,995).

Craig McKinlay, mortgages director at Halifax, said: “Seaside towns have a distinct attraction, offering that all important sea view with a typically high quality of life in a healthy environment. There is a romance associated with living by the sea and this is evident in the high house prices seen in many of these areas.

“Some of the most expensive seaside towns in Britain are dotted along the southern England coastline while many of the least expensive are in the north, particularly in Scotland. Despite a clear north-south divide in property prices among seaside towns, the rapid price growth in many Scottish seaside towns over the last 10 years suggests the popularity of coastal living has spread out across the whole country. Of course, the boom in the Scottish oil sector during the period also provided a boost to house prices, particularly in several towns along the Aberdeenshire coastline.”