House prices increased slightly, by 0.3%, in Monmouthshire in May, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 7.4% over the last year – the highest in Wales.

The average Monmouthshire house price in May was £367,223, Land Registry figures show – a 0.3% increase on April.

Over the month, the picture was similar to that across Wales, where prices increased 0.6%, and Monmouthshire was above the UK as a whole, where prices did not change.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Monmouthshire rose by £25,000 – putting the area top among Wales’s 22 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Pembrokeshire lost 1.3% of their value, giving an average price of £233,000.

First-time buyers in Monmouthshire spent an average of £283,000 on their property – £19,000 more than a year ago, and £89,000 more than in May 2018.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £428,000 on average in May – 51.2% more than first-time buyers.

Owners of flats saw the biggest rise in property prices in Monmouthshire in May – they increased 0.8%, to £176,738 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 8.5%.

Among other types of property:

Buyers paid more for properties in Monmouthshire than anywhere else in Wales in May. The average price paid would buy 2.8 homes in Blaenau Gwent (£129,000), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea.

Across Wales, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £286,000.

Average property price in May

Annual growth to May

Highest and lowest annual growth in Wales