The private school rental markets where school fees could cover a year’s rent or more

If there’s one thing as eye-wateringly expensive as the UK rental sector, it’s the cost of private education and innovative letting platform, Bunk, has looked at how far the annual school fees for the nation’s ‘best value’ private schools will get you in their respective rental markets.

Bunk looked at the annual cost of attending what is considered the nation’s more affordable private schools, before looking at the cost of renting in each town and how long the fee could get you by in paid rent.

On average, the rent surrounding these schools is 9% higher than the towns they are located in but the annual fees to attend these schools are an average of 38% more a year than the cost of renting in the surrounding town.

Bradford Grammar School tops the table and while the annual fees of £13,140 aren’t the highest in the list, they are 107% more than the cost of renting in Bradford for a year (£6,360), enough to cover your rent for 24.8 months!

Nottingham High School ranks second, with the annual fees some 99% higher than the annual rent, covering 23.9 months of rent in Nottingham.

The annual cost of attending the King Edward VI High School for Girls (£13,338) in Birmingham is 55% higher than the annual cost of rent in the city and could put a roof over your head for 18.7 months in the local rental market.

Reading Blue Coast School for Girls (17.3), the Manchester Grammar School (15.4), the Glasgow Academy (14.4), the Maynard School in Exeter (14.1), the St Helen and St Katharine School in Abingdon (12.4) and George Watson’s College in Edinburgh (12.3) all charge an annual fee between 3% and 45% higher than the annual cost of renting and could see you rent for a year or more in the local area.

St Benedict’s School in Ealing ranks last, and with fees of £17,655 a year it’s actually the most expensive of the lot while the annual rent cost of £17,808 to rent in Ealing is the least affordable spot for tenants.

However, it means the school comes in -1% cheaper than the annual rental cost although you could still rent in Ealing for 11.9 months for the cost of a year’s education!

Co-founder of Bunk, Tom Woolard, commented:

“There’s nothing like trivialising the high cost of renting to make yourself feel better about life, but it seems you have to go to some drastic lengths of in order to do so.

For many, the cost of renting alone is a financial struggle and so the idea of spending a year or more of rent on anything else is probably incomprehensible although those attending these ‘great value’ schools are unlikely to see the dark side of the rental sector, let alone struggle in it.”

School
Outcode
Location
Annual School Fees
Annual Rent in Town
Annual Fee to Rent Difference
Monthly Rent in Town
School Fee in Rental Months
Bradford Grammar School
BD9
Bradford
£13,140
 £6,360
107%
£530
24.8
Nottingham High School
NG7
Nottingham
£15,444
 £7,764
99%
£647
23.9
King Edward VI High School for Girls
B15
Birmingham
£13,338
 £8,580
55%
£715
18.7
Reading Blue Coat School
RG4
Reading
£17,514
 £12,120
45%
£1,010
17.3
The Manchester Grammar School
M13
Manchester
£12,930
 £10,068
28%
£839
15.4
The Glasgow Academy
G12
Glasgow
£12,192
 £10,140
20%
£845
14.4
The Maynard School
EX1
Exeter
£13,752
 £11,712
17%
£976
14.1
St Helen and St Katharine School
OX14
Abingdon
£16,995
 £16,392
4%
£1,366
12.4
George Watson’s College
EH10
Edinburgh
£13,170
 £12,816
3%
£1,068
12.3
St Benedict’s School
W5
Ealing, London
£17,655
 £17,808
-1%
£1,484
11.9

Properganda PR

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

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Clarity on energy efficiency rules for commercial property needed

Propertymark has written to Martin McCluskey MP, Minister for Energy Consumers at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, urging the UK Government to provide urgent clarity on the future of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for non-domestic property. The letter follows the publication of the UK Government’s Warm Homes Plan, which confirmed that…
Read More
Breaking News

English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025

English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025: headline findings on housing quality and energy efficiency The latest findings from the English Housing Survey on housing quality and energy efficiency. This is the second release of data from the 2024-25 survey. This report will be followed by a series of more detailed topic reports in the spring…
Read More
Breaking News

Propertymark responds to latest HMRC property transactions report

Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark, comments: “Based on December 2025’s figures, it is encouraging to see that property transactions remained stable following the Autumn Budget. At a time when many households were concerned about rising living costs, this stability suggests that the Budget provided enough clarity for people to continue progressing with plans to buy…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage activity dips in December

Property industry reaction to the latest mortgage approval data from the Bank of England. The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for December sat at 61,013 down (-4.8%) from 64,072 in November. Approvals are down (-8.4%) when compared to the 66,634 seen in December 2024. This decline was expected due to…
Read More
Breaking News

£19.9bn of PRS refurbishment required

£19.9bn of refurbishment investment required to bring England’s private rented homes up to EPC C by 2030 Jonathan Samuels, CEO of Octane Capital, believes that despite the Government extending the deadline for all private rental stock to meet an EPC C rating from 2028 to 2030, refurbishment finance will remain key in helping landlords meet…
Read More
Home and Living

10 budget patio ideas for beginners in landscaping

Creating an inviting outdoor space doesn’t have to break the bank. With a bit of creativity and some elbow grease, you can transform your backyard into a relaxing retreat. Whether you’re looking to build a brand-new area or revamp an existing one, these budget-friendly patio ideas will inspire you to create a stylish and functional…
Read More