Seaside town Rhyl and rural market town Carmarthen top the list of highest rent increases in Wales since 2019.
Commuter town Bridgend is seeing the highest demand among flatsharers in Wales in Q2 2025, and it has seen some of the steepest rent rises since 2019 too (+51%). Demand is also high in two Wrexham postcode districts where close to 11 people are searching per room available to rent. Consequently, room rents in LL13 have risen 52% since 2019.
The data from flatshare site SpareRoom compares average monthly room rents in Q2 2025 with Q2 2019, after which the pandemic threw the rental sector into chaos.
The table below shows the top 10 postcode districts in Wales where rents have increased most since 2019. All these areas have seen increases higher than the average room rent rise for Wales, which is currently £592 per month, up from £407 per month in 2019 (+46%).
| Postcode | Ave monthly room rent Q2 2025 | Ave monthly room rent Q2 2019 | Rent change 2019 vs 2025 | Demand Q2 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LL18 (Rhyl) | £682 | £380 | 79.7% | 8.9 |
| 2 | SA31 (Carmarthen) | £588 | £370 | 58.9% | 6.1 |
| 3 | CF14 (Cardiff North, west) | £661 | £426 | 55.1% | 7.5 |
| 4 | CF24 (Cardiff central) | £634 | £410 | 54.4% | 5 |
| 5 | LL30 (Llandudno) | £626 | £406 | 54.2% | 7.7 |
| 6 | LL13 (Wrexham) | £621 | £410 | 51.5% | 10.6 |
| 7 | CF31 (Bridgend) | £564 | £374 | 50.7% | 14.0 |
| 8 | NP20 (Newport | £584 | £388 | 50.4% | 5.2 |
| 9 | CF11 (Cardiff central & south) | £639 | £428 | 49.2% | 8.2 |
| 10 | SA61 (Haverfordwest) | £599 | £402 | 49.0% | 2.6 |
This table shows the top 10 postcode districts in Wales where demand is now highest, and how that demand has changed since 2019:
| Postcode | Ave monthly room rent Q2 2025 | Demand Q2 2025 | Demand Q2 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CF31 (Bridgend) | £564 | 14.0 | 5.3 |
| 2 | LL11 (Wrexham) | £596 | 10.7 | 5.6 |
| 3 | LL13 (Wrexham) | £621 | 10.6 | 7.0 |
| 4 | CF23 (Cardiff North, east) | £653 | 9.8 | 6.3 |
| 5 | LL18 (Rhyl) | £682 | 8.9 | 6.3 |
| 6 | CF11 (Cardiff central & south) | £639 | 8.2 | 7.2 |
| 7 | CF5 (Cardiff West, south, Vale of Glamorgan) | £599 | 8.1 | 5.2 |
| 8 | LL30 (Llandudno) | £626 | 7.7 | 5.1 |
| 9 | NP44 (Cwmbran) | £438 | 7.6 | 5.8 |
| 10 | CF14 (Cardiff North, west) | £661 | 7.5 | 5.7 |
Matt Hutchinson, director of flatshare site SpareRoom, comments:
“Areas where rent increases have been sharpest points to where the rental market’s chronic undersupply is most concentrated. In coastal towns where short-term holiday lets deplete rental stock, the supply crisis hits especially hard, which might explain why there are nine people searching for every room available to rent in Rhyl right now. And, with the average room rent now not far off £700 a month, many renters will have already been priced out of living there. Flatsharing is the cheapest way to rent but, increasingly, it’s just no longer affordable in some areas.
“Ask the 11 or so people searching for every room available to rent in Wrexham right now why they want to call it home, and their motivations could be manifold. The city has been supercharged by celebrity and it's creating new opportunities. The issue is the boost in tourism fuelled by The Reynolds Effect is putting huge pressure on rental supply.
"The worry is demand for rooms to rent is now so high in Wrexham – outstripping supply by a long way – it's inevitable prices will keep rising. Demand in LL11 has almost doubled since 2019 and the average room rent isn’t far off £600 per month. Flatsharing is the cheapest way to rent but, for many people, it’s just not affordable.”