Croydon is London’s most affordable commuter rental hotspot

June 30, 2020

Renting in a London borough with good transport connectivity can cost you 101% more in rent according to the latest research by international rental marketplace Spotahome. The research also shows that tenants pay £87 in rent for every train or tram stop present in each borough of the capital.

Spotahome first looked at the number of train or tram stations and the average rental cost in each borough. Spotahome then looked at what this equated to as a rental cost per station. The numbers show that on average an underground, overground, DLR or tram link commands £87 in rent for every station located in a borough.

Croydon is London’s best-connected rental hotspot in terms of the sheer number of stations and the affordable cost of renting. It has the highest total number of train and tram stations in London (42) and the second most affordable average rental cost (£1,136). Combined, this equates to a transport rental cost of just £27 per station, the lowest in London.

Bromley is also home to a low rental cost per station at £43 in rent for each of its 31 stations. Newham (£51), Ealing (£52), Tower Hamlets (£56), Lewisham (£60), Merton (£61), Brent (£61), Havering (£62) and Enfield (£62) also rank high for the affordability of their rental cost per train or tram station.

With just five tram or train stations and an average rent of £1,407, Harrow is home to the highest rental cost per station at £281.

Spotahome also looked at each borough based on its PTAL score and the cost of renting. A PTAL score is a detailed and accurate measure used by Transport for London. It essentially measures the density and accessibility of the public transport network at any location within Greater London.

The figures show that the least connected areas with a PTAL score of between 0-10 are home to an average rental cost of £1,360. This climbs to £1,706 for boroughs with a PTAL score of between 10+-20 and again to £2,459 for boroughs scoring 20+-30. For boroughs scoring over 30, the average rent jumps to £2,732; 101% higher than those in the lowest PTAL score bracket.

A clear indication that areas with better transport connectivity command a higher rental price.

London Boroughs ranked by the lowest rental cost per train or tram station
Borough
Total stations (underground / overground / railway / DLR / tramlink)
Average Borough Rent
Rental Cost per Station
Croydon
42
£1,136
£27
Bromley
31
£1,321
£43
Newham
28
£1,424
£51
Ealing
28
£1,463
£52
Tower Hamlets
32
£1,803
£56
Lewisham
22
£1,324
£60
Merton
25
£1,530
£61
Brent
25
£1,535
£61
Havering
19
£1,169
£62
Enfield
21
£1,310
£62
Hillingdon
19
£1,270
£67
Barnet
19
£1,523
£80
Haringey
19
£1,558
£82
Greenwich
17
£1,404
£83
Southwark
20
£1,654
£83
Lambeth
21
£1,754
£84
Westminster
35
£3,018
£86
Camden
29
£2,536
£87
Redbridge
15
£1,318
£88
Bexley
11
£1,106
£101
Hounslow
14
£1,432
£102
Sutton
11
£1,167
£106
Waltham Forest
12
£1,309
£109
Islington
16
£1,914
£120
Richmond upon Thames
15
£1,857
£124
Hammersmith and Fulham
17
£2,117
£125
Wandsworth
15
£1,883
£126
City of London
18
£2,446
£136
Hackney
13
£1,834
£141
Kingston upon Thames
9
£1,390
£154
Barking and Dagenham
7
£1,194
£171
Kensington and Chelsea
12
£3,053
£254
Harrow
5
£1,407
£281
Average
19
£1,697
£87
London Boroughs ranked by the highest PTAL
Borough Name
PTAL Score
Average Borough Rent
PTAL Bracket
PTAL Bracket Average Rent
City of London
90.80
£2,446
30+
£2,732
Westminster
39.75
£3,018
Islington
26.67
£1,914
20+-30
£2,256
Camden
24.32
£2,536
Kensington and Chelsea
23.26
£3,053
Lambeth
22.24
£1,754
Southwark
20.51
£1,654
Tower Hamlets
18.53
£1,803
10+-20
£1,706
Hackney
17.48
£1,834
Hammersmith and Fulham
16.33
£2,117
Wandsworth
13.97
£1,883
Haringey
12.61
£1,558
Lewisham
12.59
£1,324
Newham
11.08
£1,424
Brent
9.22
£1,535
0-10
£1,360
Merton
8.56
£1,530
Ealing
8.50
£1,463
Greenwich
8.38
£1,404
Waltham Forest
7.83
£1,309
Croydon
6.76
£1,136
Hounslow
5.84
£1,432
Harrow
5.82
£1,407
Redbridge
5.73
£1,318
Barking and Dagenham
5.58
£1,194
Barnet
5.54
£1,523
Kingston upon Thames
5.43
£1,390
Sutton
5.40
£1,167
Richmond upon Thames
4.90
£1,857
Enfield
4.63
£1,310
Bexley
4.55
£1,106
Bromley
3.59
£1,321
Hillingdon
3.56
£1,270
Havering
2.75
£1,169

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