MANY people dream of swapping their home in the city for one in country and realising a more tranquil and slower pace of life.

However, a survey of house prices shows that properties in Scotland’s rural areas are nine per cent more expensive than ones in urban areas.

Research from the Bank of Scotland shows that buying a home in a rural area of Scotland will cost, on average, £187,469 as opposed to £171,967 for a home in an urban area, a marked difference of £15,502.

The good news is that, although house prices in the countryside have risen by 16 per cent over the last five years, their rate of growth is less than properties in urban areas, which means that the gap between the two is now less than it was five years ago.

The most affordable rural area in Scotland is East Ayrshire where the average house price is £128,284, followed by the Western Isles where the average price is £138, 011, and then Dumfries and Galloway where the average cost is £147,863.

The least affordable rural areas in Scotland are Aberdeenshire and East Lothian where house prices are £208,923 and £208,157 respectively.

Overall, as well as offering access to Scotland’s wide-open spaces, homes in the country offer around an extra 26 per cent more indoor space and cost less per square metre.

The average size per square metre for a Scottish rural home is 127m compared to 101m2 for its urban counterpart, while the average cost per metre square is 13 per cent less for rural homes at £1,475 per m2 compared to £1,703 per m2.

The higher cost of country homes has had a detrimental impact on first-time buyers, who account for less than half (46 per cent) of all mortgages taken out in Scottish rural areas. This is compared to just over half (51 per cent) in urban areas.

First-time buyers are least likely to buy in Perth & Kinross, Argyll and Bute, Scottish Borders and the Western Isles, where they make up just 38 per cent of the total number of buyers.

Conversely, the Shetland Islands is the most affordable with first-time buyers accounting for 62 per cent of all home purchases there.

However, price is not a deterrent for those who have had enough of residing in a town or city.

Guy Grieve relocated from Edinburgh to the Isle of Mull with his family - via Alaska - in 2006 after leaving his job at The Scotsman.

He said: “The most simple reason for moving is because I worship nature.

“I will never live in an urban environment again. This morning I’ve seen hills and sea smoke, which makes me happy.

“In cities, things like art galleries are just a substitute for the power of nature.

Mr Grieve, who has since co-founded The Ethical Shellfish Company company, believes the prohibitively high price of rural properties can be attributed to people buying homes to rent out to tourists.

“There’s a big rural housing problem. AirBnb has a lot to do with it.

“The tourist industry takes up a lot of available properties.

“Renting out houses to tourists reduces the amount of housing stock available, and pushes up prices.

“It would be nice if the government intervened.”

Ricky Diggins, Mortgages Director at Bank of Scotland, said: “The countryside continues to attract homeowners looking for open spaces, cleaner environment and the prospect of a greater quality of life.

“As well being able to enjoy all the outside space, homeowners will find that rural homes also offer more inside space than their urban counterparts.

“However, his comes at a premium with rural property prices on average nine per cent higher than in urban areas.

“Affordability is often a key driver in any decision to buy a home.”