MONOPOLY REIMAGINED: What would the board look like with modern house prices?

• The board gets a reshuffle, with Whitehall and Strand now some of the most expensive places in London, with prices increasing over 700% in the past 25 years alone
• Victor Watson’s 1935 selection looks to be completely different
• Old Kent Road and The Angel, Islington still among the cheapest

While the original 1935 order of the Monopoly board was loosely based on property values at the time, new research has revealed what the board could look like with modern property 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 in 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.

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.

Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from 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.”

This study was conducted by SolitaireBliss, an online gaming service with a wide array of card games and challenges available to play for free. 

Further information can be found at solitairebliss.com