A property website claims it is getting more difficult to buy a house in Chester despite house prices falling last year.
Zoopla say taking a step on the housing ladder is tougher as salaries are falling in the city.
According to their figures, the average house price in Chester is £254,104 - down by 1.45% on 2016.
Annual wages in the area have shrunk by 5.44% in the last 12 months.
The property site used salary information from jobs page Adzuna against their own house price data.
Zoopla spokesman Lawrence Hall said: “Getting on the property ladder can be tough, especially if you’re looking to buy in an area where property prices are rising faster than salaries.
“If you’re a first-time buyer and can be flexible where you buy, then why not look at the areas where salaries are rising faster than property prices.”
Based on salary growth versus property price growth, Chester is one of the most unaffordable places to buy in the country.
This list was topped by Luton. Overall Zoopla compared 55 of the country's biggest towns and cities.
Chester bucked the trend in that house prices and salaries tended to be more in line in the north, with the south generally a more difficult place to buy.
The UK as a whole saw property values outgrow the average wage increase by 1.13% over the past year.
The average home in the UK increased in value by 0.53% year-on-year, versus a dip in the average salary to the tune of -0.60%.
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