Practically everyone has an idea of the most and least expensive areas of London based on the board game Monopoly. Mayfair was top and Old Kent Road was bottom.
But it's fair to say that property prices have changed somewhat since the game was invented in 1935, when it was based loosely on house prices at the time. Now, new research has reimagined the board based on modern values.
The research by gaming experts SolitaireBliss analysed the average sale price of each area since 2015 to see what the order of the board would look like nowadays. It also looks at property size to see each area’s average ‘price per metre’.
It found that Mayfair still sits as the most expensive area with an average sale price of £6,830,154. Strand, which was once halfway down the board as a red tile, is now the second most expensive area, with an average sale price of £5,438,715.
One of the most significant differences is Whitehall, which has now seen itself be moved 13 spots up the board to a green tile, with an average sale price of £4,393,652. Adjusted for inflation, 1935 prices would see Mayfair worth only £93,911, Strand worth only £74,799 and Whitehall worth only £60,410.
Whitechapel Road, The Angel Islington and Old Kent Road remain as the three cheapest on the board. Oxford Street, which was previously one of the most expensive tiles on the classic board, has been moved down 13 places, with an average sale price of £1,019,975.
Coventry Street has also seen a significant reshuffle, being pushed down 11 spots to now be a light blue tile. Adjusted for inflation, a 1935 property in Oxford Street would cost you only £14,020 on average.
Street |
Average sale price |
Average price per metre |
Original order |
Mayfair |
£6,830,154 |
£29,338 |
Mayfair |
Strand |
£5,438,715 |
£30,945 |
Park Lane |
Whitehall |
£4,393,652 |
£23,847 |
Bond Street |
Trafalgar Square |
£3,786,694 |
£23,964 |
Oxford Street |
Piccadilly |
£3,706,235 |
£28,958 |
Regent Street |
Vine Street |
£3,629,885 |
£34,276 |
Piccadilly |
Park Lane |
£3,113,750 |
£25,554 |
Coventry Street |
Bond Street |
£2,230,125 |
£21,311 |
Leicester Square |
Bow Street |
£2,153,900 |
£20,584 |
Trafalgar Square |
Pall Mall |
£2,041,488 |
£16,445 |
Fleet Street |
Marlborough Street |
£1,890,650 |
£17,628 |
The Strand |
Regent Street |
£1,861,179 |
£25,127 |
Vine Street |
Fleet Street |
£1,480,313 |
£21,101 |
Marlborough Street |
Northumberland Avenue |
£1,310,257 |
£15,168 |
Bow Street |
Euston Road |
£1,110,000 |
£12,658 |
Northumberland Avenue |
Pentonville Road |
£1,052,125 |
£17,311 |
Whitehall |
Oxford Street |
£1,019,975 |
£13,478 |
Pall Mall |
Coventry Street |
£796,774 |
£18,598 |
Pentonville Road |
Leicester Square |
£670,779 |
£11,950 |
Euston Road |
Old Kent Road |
£539,438 |
£10,261 |
The Angel Islington |
The Angel Islington |
£501,117 |
£6,706 |
Whitechapel Road |
Whitechapel Road |
£423,509 |
£8,998 |
Old Kent Road |
In terms of looking at the average ‘price per metre’, The Angel, Islington comes in as having the lowest price per metre of £6,706. Whitechapel Road and Old Kent Road are the second and third cheapest. Vine Street has the highest price per metre with £34,276, along with Strand and Mayfair coming in second and third.
A spokesperson for SolitaireBliss said: “What can be looked at as simply a modernisation of the legendary Monopoly board game can also be viewed as an illustration of current house prices in the capital. It’s interesting to see how more commercial areas have seen huge changes with the likes of Oxford Street and Whitehall, whereas more residential areas such as Old Kent Road and Whitechapel Road have seen a steady and consistent with housing cost trends.”
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