Home buyers now need to pay significantly more to trade up to a larger property, new research shows.

Rightmove reports that asking prices of two-bedroom flats are up 15% on average over the past five years, while the average three-bedroom house has surged by 20%, leading to a record trade up gap.

According to the property website, property purchasers are now having to pay £67,761 on average to move from a two-bedroom flat to a three-bedroom house outside London, a £4,000 increase year-on-year.

The most astonishing trade up gap, according to the data, can be found in Esher, Surrey, where the difference between a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom property is £300,000.

In contrast, the trade up difference in Swansea, using the same comparable, is just £11,000 on average.

The study, which Rightmove says is based on analysis of the average asking prices of almost three million properties, also shows that the trade up gap increases to more than £183,000 for those attempting to upsize from a three-bedroom house to a four-bedroom house, up from £180,000 last year.

Tim Bannister, director of property data at Rightmove, said: “People who bought a smaller home five years ago and are now hoping to trade up will find it’s harder to afford the next rung of the ladder because of the different pace of the sectors.

“Those who really need the space and are struggling to trade up could widen their search area to find alternative places where they can get more for their money, or they may need to compromise on the type of home and opt for a terraced rather than detached.

“The cash jump is even bigger from three to four beds, likely due to four bed homes often having additional bathrooms, bigger gardens, garages or outbuildings, as well as an extra bedroom, but traditionally homeowners stay in their second home longer and so more people may have built up enough equity to make the jump to their forever home.”