The cost of living in one of the UK's spa towns is higher than the country's average, new figures show.

A study by Halifax Estate Agents found that each of the 18 spa towns in England and Wales has higher house prices than average, with house prices in 16 higher than those in neighbouring towns.

Spa towns, such as Tunbridge Wells, are increasingly becoming in demand from buyers eager to find a picturesque and healthier place to live; with a growing gap developing between prices in towns and the surrounding regions.

House prices across the UK have risen far faster than wage inflation over the past few years and first-time buyers are increasingly being priced out of the market. Many buyers are now being forced by economics to look for places with a lower cost of living in order to get a foot on the property ladder.

The most expensive place to live in Britain is London, with average house prices of £289,901 in September this year, according to official figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Average house prices in Scotland were £145,653, £160,556 in Wales, £168,805 in Northern Ireland and £206,431 in England.

According to the regional house price survey, the lowest average house price in September was in the north east of England, at £142,208.

Generally speaking, the cost of living and buying property in Britain is highest in London and the south east and lower in the north and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Halifax Estate Agents poll found that the highest average house prices for spa towns are in Epsom in Surrey (£297,354), Tunbridge Wells in Kent (£279,978) and Boston Spa in West Yorkshire (£277,215), while the cheapest spa town to buy a home in is Llanddrindod in Wales (£158,687).

Britain's coastal areas have also seen prices rise sharply over the past decade, as more and more people are willing to move around the country to improve their quality of life. This has led to many local residents complaining that they have been priced out of the housing market by people moving into the area.

Commenting on recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures and other data, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) claimed that pay inflation is failing to keep pace with the growing cost of living in the UK, as the cost of property, council tax, energy and fuel continues to rise rapidly.

Recent research found that, in almost two thirds families in Britain, both parents are now forced to work to make ends meet, as the cost of raising a child between birth and aged 21 rises to £180,000.

Many UK workers are being forced to use credit cards and loans to cope with rising living costs, with levels of debt worst in London, Hampshire and Lincolnshire, Experian reports. A report by Barclaycard, based on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), found that the cost of living in the UK rose by 16 per cent between 1996 and 2006.