People buying a house in London now have to pay an average of £150,000 more than anywhere else in the UK, according to the latest research.

The Nationwide House Price Index shows that the gap between property prices in London and the rest of the country is currently the widest it has ever been.

While prices in the capital are 5% above their previous peak in 2007, typically standing at £318,214, prices across the UK are 9% lower than they were six years ago.

Overall the price of a house rose by 0.4% on average in the second quarter of 2013, with prices up 1.4% compared with the same period the previous year.

In London, however, prices were up 1.2% in the quarter and 5.2% year-on-year, as it continues to set the pace in terms of growth.

Simon Rose, Head of Strutt & Parker West Chelsea, explains: "We have once more seen strong prices being achieved in Central London areas. Homes that are coming on at sensible prices in good condition are selling fast and at very good prices and this looks set to continue for the remainder of 2013."

On average, anyone wanting to buy a house in the city would need £150,615 extra, compared with buying in the rest of the country.

Although the London property market continues to grow at an accelerated rate, the same cannot be said for every region.

Prices are falling fastest in Northern Ireland, where they have plummeted 2.1% in the past year to £108,116. Since prices peaked in 2007, they have dropped by 52%.

In Scotland, meanwhile, prices have dropped 1.2% to £134,611, making it the second worst performing region.

Among the English regions, the south and the Midlands continued to outperform the north of England.

Outside of London, East Anglia was the strongest performing region, with annual price growth of 3.6% to £172,567, followed by the outer south-east with growth of 2% to £202,132.

Yorkshire & Humberside, on the other hand, was the weakest English region, with prices down 0.8% over the year to £133,283.

Southern England has seen stronger price growth than northern England in every quarter for the last four years. Prices in the south of England were up 3.0% year-on-year, while in the north they rose by 0.5%.