SpareRoom Rental Index
Average rents are updated every quarter - last updated October 2025
UK rents hit record highs
Renting a room in the UK now costs £753 per month on average which – although only an increase of 0.8% on the previous year – is the highest figure on record, according to Q3 2025. UK rents passed the £700 mark in Q2 2023.
Wales sees highest rent increase regionally
Regionally, Wales saw the highest year-on-year increase in room rents, up 2.3% to £586 per month, followed by South West England (+1.5%). Rents in Scotland saw a year-on-year increase of 0.7% but, at £723 per month, the average rent here is now at a record high. The cheapest average rents can be found in the North East of England.
| Region | Average monthly room rent | Annual change |
| East Anglia | £681 | 1.3% |
| East Midlands | £567 | 0.2% |
| North East | £549 | -0.4% |
| North West | £611 | 1.0% |
| Northern Ireland | £571 | -0.4% |
| Scotland | £723 | 0.7% |
| South East | £749 | 1.0% |
| South West | £674 | 1.5% |
| Wales | £586 | 2.3% |
| West Midlands | £588 | 1.3% |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | £561 | 0.8% |
| London | £995 | -0.1% |
| UK | £753 | 0.8% |
| UK (excl London) | £670 | 1.2% |
London rents rise 37% in five years
The average London room rent rose to £995 per month in Q3 2025 - 37% more than five years ago (from £728 per month in Q3 2020).
Renters in north London saw the highest year-on-year rent increases (+2.1%) in Q3 2025. Those on tight budgets should focus their searches on south east London, where the average rent is £951 per month.
| London regions | Average monthly room rent | Annual change |
| E | £958 | 0% |
| EC | £1,220 | -3% |
| N | £961 | 2% |
| NW | £994 | -2% |
| SE | £951 | 1% |
| SW | £1,044 | 1% |
| W | £1,071 | 0% |
| WC | £1,339 | 0% |
| London | £995 | 0% |
| UK | £753 | 1% |
| UK (excl London) | £670 | 1% |
South east sees biggest YOY increase
Despite regionally seeing the lowest average London rent in Q3, four SE postcodes saw some of the highest year-on-year rent increases in the whole of London: SE3 (Blackheath), SE24 (Herne Hill), SE4 (Brockley), SE9 (Eltham).
| London postcodes | Average monthly room rent | Annual change |
| WC2 (Strand / Holborn) | £1,674 | 11% |
| SE3 (Blackheath) | £959 | 9% |
| SE24 (Hearne Hill) | £971 | 9% |
| SE24 (Brockley | £911 | 8% |
| E2 (Bethnal Green | £1,122 | 8% |
| SE9 (Eltham | £851 | 7% |
| SW12 (Barnes) | £985 | 6% |
| N11 (New Southgate) | £876 | 6% |
| N21 (Winchmore Hill) | £904 | 6% |
| W3 (Acton | £1,000 | 6% |
UK’s most expensive towns and cities
Outside of London, the most expensive cities are Twickenham, Kingston and Edinburgh, with rents exceeding the UK average (£753) by over £100.
These are the most expensive places to rent in the UK, outside London:
| Town/City | Average monthly room rent |
| Twickenham | £927 |
| Kingston upon Thames | £907 |
| Edinburgh | £887 |
| Barnet | £857 |
| St Albans | £847 |
| Croydon | £834 |
| Harrow | £823 |
| Oxford | £823 |
| Redhill | £821 |
| Bromley | £820 |
UK’s cheapest towns and cities
The cheapest towns to rent outside of the capital in Q3 were Bootle and Bradford, while Bradford and Hull were the cheapest cities.
These are the cheapest towns and cities to rent in the UK:
| Town/City | Average monthly room rent |
| Bootle | £465 |
| Bradford | £470 |
| Burnley | £473 |
| Middlesbrough | £476 |
| Blackburn | £478 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | £479 |
| Huddersfield | £479 |
| Barnsley | £487 |
| Hull | £488 |
| Grimsby | £491 |
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Methodology
SpareRoom’s Quarterly Rental Index data compares data from Q3 2025 with Q3 2024, based on 375,000+ UK room ads (inclusive of bills) across both periods. Postcodes with a sample size of less than 25 were excluded. City sample size is 200+ room ads. London data covers E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W & WC postcodes.
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Every quarter we analyse 100s of 1,000s of room rents for the SpareRoom rental index. Giving you average rents and rent increases and declines across London and the UK: