Homeowners in the Highlands and Moray have halved the proportion of their disposable income that is going on mortgage payments in the last decade.
Research by the Bank of Scotland has shown that the affordability of mortgages has improved in every part of Scotland since 2007, with the average household now paying a fifth of their disposable income on payments every month.
In Moray, the proportion has dropped from 42% to 20% in the period, while in the Highland Council area it has fallen from 40.5% to 21.3%.
A similar trend has been witnessed in Aberdeen, where it reduced from 37.9% to 22.4%, and in Aberdeenshire, where it has dropped from 40.9% to 23%.
The Shetland Islands has experienced the smallest change in mortgage affordability since 2007, improving by 6.8% during that time, while the proportion of disposable income in the Western Isles has fallen from 29.5% to 18.1%.
Disposable income spent on mortgage payments in Scotland is 9% less than the rest of the UK, and was found to be the second most affordable place after Northern Ireland.
Ricky Diggins, director at Bank of Scotland, said: “Despite the base rate towards the end of last year, it was the rise in house prices that had a slight impact on mortgage affordability for homeowners in Scotland.
“However, even with the slight decrease in affordability over the last year, the average amount that homeowners spend on their mortgage payments as a proportion of disposable income is significantly less now when compared to 10 years ago and Scotland is typically more affordable when compared to the rest of the UK.”
