Official figures have been released by the Office for National Statistics that highlight the huge discrepancy in regional monthly rents.

The median monthly rent recorded in England over the last year was £690.

London had the highest median monthly rents at £1,473, along with the largest variation in rental values, followed by the South East.

At the other end of the scale, the North East had the lowest average rent, at £495 a month.

Location, location, location

Rents in the southern regions of England and the East are higher than rents in the Midlands and northern regions. 

London rents were highest across all categories and also had the greatest range of values. Rents were generally highest in Inner London, where the median rent was £1,650. The highest median rent in London, and in England, was in Kensington and Chelsea at an eye-watering £2,383.

The lowest rent in London was in Lewisham (£1,275).

The average rent in Outer London reduces to £1,300. The highest was in Richmond upon Thames (£1,600), while renters in Bexley pay an average £1,000.

Cheap as chips

In the North East, the highest median rent was in Newcastle upon Tyne (£600), while those in Hartlepool pay just £450 a month.

However, Kingston upon Hull boasts the lowest rent in all of England at just £400 a month.