- The steepest average rent hikes in UK towns and cities in Q4 2025 were seen in northern England, the Midlands and Scotland, concentrated in towns and smaller cities.
- Merseyside town Bootle - which has long been the cheapest UK town/city in which to rent - saw room rents soar by 18% year on year in Q4, the highest rise nationwide.
- Across the country, the UK average rent continued to stabilise, up 0.5% year on year while London saw a marginal drop of 0.9%. But only meaningful decreases will help those spending 40-50% of their income on rent, warns SpareRoom.
The steepest room rent rises have been concentrated in Scotland, northern England, and the Midlands, according to Q4 2025 rental index data from flatshare site SpareRoom. And with the exception of Liverpool, major cities are notably absent from the list of highest risers, with towns and smaller cities far more likely to feature.
Scotland's average rent dropped slightly in Q4 (-0.2%), but Perth (+7.4%), Paisley (+5.7%), Livingston (+6.7%) and Kirkcaldy (+6.1%) are all bucking the national trend. All offer considerably cheaper rents than both Edinburgh (£778pm) and Glasgow (£690pm).
In the north of England, Merseyside town Bootle has long been the cheapest place to rent in the UK, but it has been knocked off its spot by Lancashire town Burnley, after it saw the highest year-on-year rise nationwide. Renting a room in Bootle now costs £527 per month on average, 18% more than Q4 2024. It no longer features in the top 10 cheapest places to rent a room in the UK.
In fact almost half of the most popular towns and cities among flatsharers that have seen rents increase by more than 5% YOY in Q4 are located in the North of England. They include West Yorkshire town Keighley, known for its affordability, but perhaps not for much longer now room rents are rising 14% year on year. Room rents here are now pushing £600 per month.
It's a similar story in Cheshire town Widnes which is well connected to both Manchester and Liverpool and where rents are rising 12.8% year on year.
In the Midlands, Stourbridge (+17.7%) and Wolverhampton (+9.6%) are leading the charge on rent increases. But for those leaving Birmingham in search of cheaper rents, Stourbridge may no longer offer the affordability flatsharers are looking for. At £649 per month, its average rent is now £31 per month higher than Birmingham's, which fell 2% year on year in Q4 to £618 per month. Wolverhampton, however, is still £65 per month cheaper than Birmingham's average rent.
The table below shows the 28 most popular towns and cities among flatsharers that have seen rents increase by more than 5% YOY in Q4:
| City/Town | Average monthly room rent Q4 2025 | Average monthly room rent Q4 2024 | Year-on-year change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bootle | £527 | £447 | 18.0% |
| 2 | Stourbridge | £649 | £552 | 17.7% |
| 3 | Keighley | £598 | £525 | 14.0% |
| 4 | Widnes | £590 | £522 | 12.8% |
| 5 | Carlisle | £586 | £532 | 10.1% |
| 6 | Wolverhampton | £553 | £504 | 9.6% |
| 7 | Nuneaton | £560 | £512 | 9.3% |
| 8 | Dorchester | £645 | £592 | 8.8% |
| 9 | Taunton | £679 | £624 | 8.7% |
| 10 | Chesterfield | £553 | £511 | 8.3% |
| 11 | Durham | £638 | £594 | 7.5% |
| 12 | Sale | £671 | £624 | 7.5% |
| 13 | Southport | £583 | £543 | 7.4% |
| 14 | Margate | £655 | £610 | 7.4% |
| 15 | Perth | £546 | £509 | 7.4% |
| 16 | South Shields | £523 | £487 | 7.3% |
| 17 | Ellesmere Port | £605 | £566 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Livingston | £597 | £559 | 6.7% |
| 19 | Worcester | £597 | £561 | 6.4% |
| 20 | Bath | £832 | £783 | 6.3% |
| 21 | Kirkcaldy | £587 | £554 | 6.1% |
| 22 | Warrington | £613 | £579 | 5.9% |
| 23 | Tamworth | £590 | £557 | 5.9% |
| 24 | Dunstable | £660 | £624 | 5.8% |
| 25 | Barnsley | £492 | £465 | 5.7% |
| 26 | Paisley | £542 | £513 | 5.7% |
| 27 | Runcorn | £565 | £535 | 5.5% |
| 28 | Liverpool | £555 | £526 | 5.5% |
The table below shows the UK's most and least expensive towns and cities outside of inner London:
| UK's most expensive towns/cities | UK's least expensive towns/cities | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Town/City | Average monthly room rent Q4 2025 | Town/City | Average monthly room rent Q4 2025 |
| Kingston upon Thames | £922 | Burnley | £470 |
| Twickenham | £914 | Bradford | £472 |
| Barnet | £853 | Middlesbrough | £477 |
| Bath | £832 | Stockton-on-Tees | £482 |
| Oxford | £831 | Huddersfield | £485 |
| Croydon | £823 | Blackburn | £485 |
| Harrow | £821 | Craigavon (incl Lurgan & Portadown) | £490 |
| Enfield | £820 | Rotherham | £492 |
| Redhill | £818 | Barnsley | £492 |
| Benfleet | £815 | Darlington | £493 |
The table below shows UK average room rents by country/region and the YOY change:
| Country/Region | Average monthly room rent Q4 2025 | Average monthly room rent Q4 2024 | Year-on-year change |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West | £677 | £666 | 1.7% |
| East Midlands | £568 | £564 | 0.6% |
| West Midlands | £590 | £586 | 0.6% |
| East Anglia | £674 | £670 | 0.6% |
| North West | £613 | £609 | 0.5% |
| South East | £748 | £745 | 0.5% |
| North East | £555 | £553 | 0.4% |
| Wales | £589 | £588 | 0.2% |
| Yorkshire & Humberside | £557 | £557 | 0.0% |
| Scotland | £681 | £683 | -0.2% |
| Northern Ireland | £561 | £570 | -1.5% |
| London (inner) | £985 | £993 | -0.9% |
| UK | £749 | £745 | 0.5% |
| UK (excl London) | £670 | £664 | 0.9% |
Matt Hutchinson, director at flatshare site Spareroom, comments: "Those navigating the market today will tell you affordable accommodation is scarce and only meaningful decreases would make life easier, so the fact rents are stabilising is far from a silver lining. In terms of affordability, too many renters are at breaking point, spending half their income on rent. The high cost of living is pushing people into traditionally more affordable areas and away from major cities which of course means these areas won't be affordable for much longer. A laser-focus on boosting supply to the rental market is our best way out of the housing crisis.”