10 cheapest cities to rent in England

Hull has been named the most affordable city in Britain to rent in, with the average monthly cost being as low as £799.

Rent in the area is 48% below the national average of £1,369, according to new research collected by property website Rightmove, making the prospect of moving to the city desirable for renters who want to minimise their living costs.

The typical monthly rental payment in Hull takes up 26% of the average single monthly earning across the UK, compared with 50% nationally, meaning that tenants in Hull have more disposable income than those elsewhere.

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Other affordable cities for renters include Carlisle where the average rent is £816, and Wrexham where a typical month’s rent will set you back by £817.

Steve Pimblett, Chief Data Officer at Rightmove, said: “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.”

The average price of private rent in the UK increased by 9.0% in the 12 months to December 2024, according to a provisional estimate by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

However, the average advertised rent of properties coming to market outside of London fell by 0.2% to £1,341 per calendar month over the last quarter, separate Rightmove data suggests.

Meanwhile, UK house prices increased by 4.7% in 2024, the Nationwide House Price Index suggests.

We look at the top places for buy-to-let rental yields in another guide.

Here’s a full list of the top ten of the most inexpensive places to rent in the country:

The cheapest places to rent in England

The most expensive places to rent in England

Some of the most expensive places to rent in Britain include many cities in the East and South East of England. Unsurprisingly, London takes the top spot with the average advertised rent reaching a new record of £2,695 a month, representing 88% of average monthly earnings in Britain.

Other costly places to rent in England include St Albans, where the average monthly rent is £2,330, and Oxford, where rent will cost you around £2,041 a month.

Edinburgh is Britain’s 10th most expensive city to rent in, and Scotland’s most expensive city for renters.

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