The UK’s best value rental spots with a high-end house price image

May 8, 2019

The latest research by innovative lettings platform, Howsy, has looked at where across the UK is home to the best value rental spots when considered in context with the cost of buying a house.

Howsy compared average annual rent to the average house price in each area of the UK, ranking them by the lowest percentage ratio to highlight the sought-after homeowning hotspots offering the lowest rental barriers and therefore an alternative take on the best value for money.

Not only does this allow you to rent more affordably in a high-end area but it also provides the lowest financial hurdle when making that transition to homeowner, with more room to save for that all-important deposit.

The area of the UK home to the lowest rent as a proportion of house price is Kensington and Chelsea, where the average annual rent of £38,076 is just 2.63% of the average house price (£1.4m). For those that can afford to rent in the prime London borough, it offers the best value to rent while faking the high-class homeowner lifestyle.

Suffolk Coastal, an area of outstanding beauty, has an average annual rent of £8,000, just 2.86% of the current average house price of £285,00. The second-best spot for a disproportionally low rental cost when compared to the wider market.

Chiltern (2.88%), St Albans (2.94%) and Waverly (2.97%), the City of London (3.00%), Chichester (3.01%), the Isles of Scilly (3.01%), Uttlesford (3.03%) and Hammersmith and Fulham (3.03%) also rank in the top 10 for rental value as a proportion of the average home buying cost.

Founder and CEO of Howsy, Calum Brannan, commented:  

“The affordability of living anywhere in the UK is always relative to the place itself, the wage on offer and the cost of living and of course these tend to be higher in more desirable areas.

However, this research highlights that there are some very nice parts of the UK property market that offer a proportionally low rental hurdle compared to the cost of buying, and while top line affordability of rental costs is still required, they enable you to enjoy the same lifestyle at a fraction of the cost.

Not only do they represent some of the best value across the UK rental sector but for those living there, the lower rental costs should enable them to squirrel more away for that all-important deposit.”
UK’s lowest proportion of annual rent to average house price
 
Location
Avg House Price
Avg Monthly Rent
Avg Annual Rent
Proportion of Rent to House Price
Kensington and Chelsea
£1,450,000
£3,173.00
£38,076
2.63%
Suffolk Coastal
£285,000
£679.00
£8,148
2.86%
Chiltern
£549,000
£1,318.00
£15,816
2.88%
St Albans
£540,000
£1,321.00
£15,852
2.94%
Waverley
£475,000
£1,174.00
£14,088
2.97%
City of London
£874,405
£2,189.00
£26,268
3.00%
Chichester
£370,000
£927.00
£11,124
3.01%
Isles of Scilly
£322,500
£808.00
£9,696
3.01%
Uttlesford
£410,000
£1,034.00
£12,408
3.03%
Hammersmith and Fulham
£795,000
£2,005.00
£24,060
3.03%
London’s lowest proportion of annual rent to average house price
 
Location
Avg House Price
Avg Monthly Rent
Avg Annual Rent
Proportion of Rent to House Price
Kensington and Chelsea
£1,450,000
£3,173
£38,076
2.63%
City of London
£874,405
£2,189
£26,268
3.00%
Hammersmith and Fulham
£795,000
£2,005
£24,060
3.03%
Westminster
£1,050,000
£2,709
£32,508
3.10%
Camden
£760,000
£2,117
£25,404
3.34%
Kingston upon Thames
£484,250
£1,355
£16,260
3.36%
Harrow
£480,000
£1,359
£16,308
3.40%
Bromley
£440,000
£1,250
£15,000
3.41%
Sutton
£385,000
£1,114
£13,368
3.47%
Haringey
£525,000
£1,520
£18,240
3.47%

 

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Home and Living

5 trends driving London’s landscaped gardens

London gardens can add more than £205,000 in value as Chelsea tops table for prime buyers seeking outdoor space Ahead of this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, research by Enness Global has revealed that a garden can add more than £205,000 to the value of a London home, whilst Chelsea fittingly boasts the highest degree of…
Read More →
how to present your property for sale
Breaking News

Six in 10 tenants say Renters’ Rights Act improves their housing protections and conditions

Awareness of the Renter’s Rights Act 2025 has increased amongst tenants from 19 per cent in October after the bill passed, to 60 per cent when it came into effect 19 per cent of renters are now more likely to remain in their current property but 45 per cent are concerned about the legislation’s long-term…
Read More →
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

West Oxfordshire tops list of first-time hotspots defying national trend

New analysis by the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove reveals the first-time buyer hotspots where buyer demand is increasing, bucking the national trend over the last month West Oxfordshire leads the way, with demand for typical first-time buyer properties up by 45% year-on-year: A 37% increase in available first-time buyer type homes for sale and…
Read More →
Breaking News

ONS Private Rent and House Prices Index- May 2026

The latest ONS house price figures show that the sales market that is broadly flat. Average UK house prices were unchanged year-on-year at £268,000 in March 2026, with annual house price inflation slowing from 1.7% in February to 0.0% in March. Main points Average UK monthly private rents increased by 3.5%, to £1,381, in the…
Read More →
Overseas Property

Cyprus in demand as international property inquiries spike

Interest in Cyprus has more than tripled since the start of March, while sales to non-EU buyers have spiked by more than a fifth Cyprus is the best option for residency by investment in a major EU Mediterranean country, after Spain closed its Golden Visa in April 2025 and Portugal closed the property route in…
Read More →
Breaking News

Inflation falls to 2.8%

Industry response to the latest inflation figures and their impact on the housing market.   Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark “It is very welcome news to see inflation dip this month; however, today’s figures still sit some distance away from the Bank of England’s target rate of 2%. It remains important to consider continued overall…
Read More →