Forget London, Oxford is the UK’s worst place to rent

July 2, 2020

The latest data on the cost of renting from the Office for National Statistics was released last week showing that rents in England have increased to their highest level on record.

While the average rent in London is double that of the national average, the latest research by lettings and estate agent Barrows and Forrester has found that London isn’t the least affordable rental market when it comes to rent as a percentage of income.

Based on the latest data, their research shows that the average UK tenant is spending 47% of their monthly net income (£2,039) to cover the average cost of £959 in rent.

At a regional UK level, tenants in London are paying the most, with 62% of the average London salary required to cover the monthly cost of renting. In contrast, tenants in Wales and the South East are paying less than half that (30%).

However, when breaking the UK down on a local level London takes a back seat to Oxford where the issue of rental affordability is concerned.

With a monthly net salary of £1,946 and rental costs coming in at an average of £1,588 per month, tenants in Oxford are spending 82% of their monthly income on renting.

There are a further 17 areas of the UK where the average rent accounts for 60% or more of the average monthly income, with the capital accounting for 14 of these least affordable rental markets.

Hackney is the least affordable of all London boroughs and second least affordable behind Oxford, with 78% of the average income spent on rent.

Outside of London, Exeter (67%) Brighton and Hove (66%) and Epping Forest (60%) also make the list of least affordable rental markets.

Location
Average rent (pm)
Net salary (pm)
Rent as % of net salary
London
£1,644
£2,639
62%
South East
£999
£2,251
44%
South West
£818
£1,866
44%
East of England
£862
£2,124
41%
Scotland
£748
£1,944
38%
West Midlands
£671
£1,894
35%
Northern Ireland
£627
£1,798
35%
East Midlands
£639
£1,884
34%
Yorkshire and the Humber
£614
£1,831
34%
North West
£629
£1,885
33%
North East
£542
£1,799
30%
Wales
£539
£1,792
30%
United Kingdom
£959
£2,039
47%
Least affordable rental markets
Location
Average rent (pm)
Net salary (pm)
Rent as % of net salary
Oxford
£1,588
£1,946
82%
Hackney
£1,842
£2,360
78%
Westminster
£3,046
£4,038
75%
Lambeth
£1,908
£2,565
74%
Newham
£1,453
£2,007
72%
Haringey
£1,669
£2,350
71%
Camden
£2,302
£3,387
68%
Brent
£1,502
£2,217
68%
Exeter
£1,201
£1,801
67%
Barking and Dagenham
£1,208
£1,816
67%
Brighton and Hove
£1,360
£2,054
66%
Hammersmith and Fulham
£2,117
£3,209
66%
Ealing
£1,569
£2,431
65%
Southwark
£1,718
£2,717
63%
Islington
£2,003
£3,195
63%
Enfield
£1,292
£2,114.96
61%
Epping Forest
£1,369
£2,261.61
61%
Barnet
£1,499
£2,498.08
60%
Least affordable rental markets excluding London
Location
Average rent (pm)
Net salary (pm)
Rent as % of net salary
Oxford
£1,588
£1,946
82%
Exeter
£1,201
£1,801
67%
Brighton and Hove
£1,360
£2,054
66%
Epping Forest
£1,369
£2,262
61%
Bath and North East Somerset
£1,223
£2,050
60%
Bristol
£1,175
£1,974
60%
Midlothian
£1,084
£1,887
57%
Cambridge
£1,250
£2,186
57%
East Lothian
£1,084
£1,949
56%
Three Rivers
£1,280
£2,347
55%
Mole Valley
£1,268
£2,327
54%
West Oxfordshire
£1,108
£2,038
54%
Harlow
£1,006
£1,853
54%
Crawley
£1,004
£1,856
54%
Chiltern
£1,455
£2,744
53%

Properganda PR

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

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Fewer than 3% of London rental homes available

The latest research from Benham and Reeves has found that fewer than 3% of London’s private rental homes are currently available to tenants, highlighting the severe lack of supply across the capital at a time when further legislative changes could place additional strain on supply within the sector. Benham and Reeves analysed current rental market…
Read More →
Adding second coat of varnish floor boards
Home and Living

Cottagecore Design

The term “cottagecore design” has risen by 100% since November 2025, with the term “cottagecore” itself now getting nearly 10,000 searches (9,900), according to Traditional Beams. Cottagecore refers to an aesthetic that romanticises simple, rural and sustainable living, popularised on platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok, and embraces a cosy and pastoral lifestyle. However, while…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

Property specialist predicts spike in traditional interiors after Bridgerton hit

With Bridgerton Season 4 debuting with an impressive 39.7 million views in its first week on Netflix, property specialist predicts that traditional interiors will be the biggest renovation trend of 2026. Mitchell Martyn, Property Finance Specialist at Pure Property Finance, predicts that the appetite for traditional, heritage-inspired interiors is set to surge once again. As…
Read More →
Breaking News

Reduced supply of homes to landlords selling up

2025 saw Westminster enact one of the biggest changes to England’s private rental sector in decades via the Renters’ Rights Act, and it has already triggered a mixed response from those working in the property industry alongside landlords. One of the biggest changes includes the retirement of section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions. This is a move…
Read More →
Estate Agents should not all look the same
Letting Agent Talk

The Art of the Add-On: 5 Simple Ways Letting Agents Can Upsell in 2026

Letting agents are brilliant at delivering value, but not always brilliant at charging for it, according to Sally Lawson… Here are her five simple steps for charging for what you’re worth (and more) this year. “Far too many agents bundle services together, do the extra work, solve problems, take calls, fix issues. And they never…
Read More →
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove reaction to the Bank of England Base Rate decision

Matt Smith, Mortgage Expert at Rightmove, said: “Today’s decision to hold the Bank Rate was widely expected, and for most homeowners and home‑buyers, there’s no immediate change to worry about. For those looking to secure a new mortgage rate or coming up to remortgage, even small rises in rates can have a real impact on…
Read More →