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Revealed: the cheapest cities to rent a home

Revealed: the cheapest cities to rent a home
Christina Hoghton
Written By:
Posted:
31/01/2025
Updated:
31/01/2025

Hull is the most affordable city to rent a home in, according to Rightmove.

The property portal found that the city of Hull is Great Britain’s most affordable city to rent, with the average advertised rent in the city £799 a month, 48% below the national average.

A typical monthly rental payment in Hull takes up 26% of the average single monthly earning across Great Britain, compared with 50% nationally.

Next on the list is Carlisle, where the average rent is now £816, while Wrexham is third, at £817 a month. 

Great Britain’s most affordable cities to rent in

Ranking City Average advertised rent per calendar month
1 Hull £799
2 Carlisle £816
3 Wrexham £817
4 Sunderland £833
5 Stoke-On-Trent £862
6 Bradford £876
7 Dundee £885
8 Doncaster £893
9 Lancaster £964
10 Preston £986
  GB £1,526

 

Great Britain’s most expensive cities to rent in

 London continues to be the most expensive city to rent in, with the average advertised rent of a home reaching a new record of £2,695 a month.

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The most expensive city to rent in outside of London is St. Albans (£2,330 a month), followed by Oxford (£2,041) and Winchester (£1,985).

 

Ranking City Average advertised rent per calendar month
1 London £2,695
2 St. Albans £2,330
3 Oxford £2,041
4 Winchester £1,985
5 Brighton £1,880
6 Cambridge £1,870
7 Chelmsford £1,857
8 Salford £1,739
9 Milton Keynes £1,641
10 Edinburgh £1,620
  GB £1,526

 

Steve Pimblett, chief data officer at Rightmove, said: “With average rents continuing to rise in most cities, many are having to consider their affordability when choosing a city to live in, including students heading off for their university adventure later this year.”

“We are seeing rental price growth slowing overall and a better balance between supply and demand. However, as seen by this data, the picture can look quite different depending on where you’re looking to live, and agents tell us the market is still very busy compared with pre-pandemic norms.”

 

Angharad Trueman, ARLA propertymark president, added: “There has been a real shift in the last few years in terms of rental prices across certain regions and this has proven an underlying force in how people are looking at the market. Proximity to a workplace, for example, has become less of a key factor, as more people are able to remote work and choose where they live.

“It remains imperative that governments across all UK nations focus on boosting the supply of rental homes to help even out prices across the country and make renting a secure aspiration for many people who choose it. This can only be realistically achieved by supporting landlords and encouraging long-term investment within the rental sector.”