Rightmove: New data – Most affordable cities to rent in
Hull tops the list as the most affordable city to rent in
- The city of Hull tops the list as Great Britain’s most affordable city to rent in, with the average advertised rent in the city now £799 per calendar month (pcm), 48% below the national average
- Second on the list of Great Britain’s most affordable cities is Carlisle, where the average advertised monthly rent is now £816 pcm. Wrexham is third on the list, at £817 pcm
- The most expensive city to rent in outside of London is St. Albans (£2,330 pcm), followed by Oxford (£2,041 pcm) and Winchester (£1,985 pcm)
- The findings come as many students have sent off their university applications this week
New data from the UK’s largest property website Rightmove, reveals that Hull has topped the list as the most affordable city in Great Britain to rent.
The average advertised rent in the city of Hull is £799 pcm, the lowest in Rightmove’s analysis of the 50 largest cities. The typical rent in Hull is 48% below the average across Great Britain, which now stands at £1,526 pcm.
A typical monthly rental payment in Hull takes up 26% of the average single monthly earning across Great Britain, compared with 50% nationally.
This is halved if two people were splitting the cost of the rent equally together.
Second on the list of Great Britain’s most affordable cities is Carlisle, where the average advertised monthly rent is now £816. Wrexham is third on the list, at £817 pcm.
The findings come as many students have sent off their university applications this week, with affordable rents being one factor that many will be considering.
At the other end, 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 pcm.
St. Albans is second on the list at an average of £2,330 pcm, and Oxford is third at £2,041 pcm.
Steve Pimblett, Chief Data Officer at Rightmove, comments, “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.”
Great Britain’s most affordable cities to rent in
| Ranking | City | Average advertised rent per calendar month | Average monthly rent as a % of average single monthly earning | Average rental price growth compared to last year |
| 1 | Hull | £799 | 26% | +8.2% |
| 2 | Carlisle | £816 | 27% | +10.4% |
| 3 | Wrexham | £817 | 27% | -16.3% |
| 4 | Sunderland | £833 | 27% | +12.9% |
| 5 | Stoke-On-Trent | £862 | 28% | +5.5% |
| 6 | Bradford | £876 | 29% | +8.6% |
| 7 | Dundee | £885 | 29% | -3.7% |
| 8 | Doncaster | £893 | 29% | +2.7% |
| 9 | Lancaster | £964 | 32% | +3.9% |
| 10 | Preston | £986 | 32% | +3.5% |
| GB | £1,526 | 50% | +4.3% |
Great Britain’s most expensive cities to rent in
| Ranking | City | Average advertised rent per calendar month | Average monthly rent as a % of average single monthly earning | Average rental price growth compared to last year |
| 1 | London | £2,695 | 88% | +8.2% |
| 2 | St. Albans | £2,330 | 76% | +2.2% |
| 3 | Oxford | £2,041 | 67% | +2.8% |
| 4 | Winchester | £1,985 | 65% | -3.3% |
| 5 | Brighton | £1,880 | 62% | +3.5% |
| 6 | Cambridge | £1,870 | 61% | +1.8% |
| 7 | Chelmsford | £1,857 | 61% | +8.5% |
| 8 | Salford | £1,739 | 57% | +30.5% |
| 9 | Milton Keynes | £1,641 | 54% | +9.2% |
| 10 | Edinburgh | £1,620 | 53% | +5.3% |
| GB | £1,526 | 50% | +4.3% |
You May Also Enjoy
UK House Price Index for December 2025
10 things all tenants need to know when renting now
Average monthly mortgage payment down £119 year-on-year in January
Homes with a great view command premiums
More sellers looking to enter the property market
