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Average rent in London and the UK's big cities
The typical home listed to rent in London this month asked £2,500 a month, and £1,350 across Britain. City by city, London by postcode, how that compares with the official figure, and real homes to rent at the typical price.
- North Finchley (N12)
- £1,950
- Woolwich (SE18)
- £2,000
- Streatham (SW16)
- £2,000
- West Ealing (W13)
- £2,100
In this article
Updated 29 October 2026, from homes listed to rent on home.co.uk up to 25 October.
A home newly listed to rent in London's postcodes asked £2,500 a month in the past month, going by the middle rent of 19,320 London listings. A one-bedroom home asked £2,104 and a two-bedroom £2,700. Across Britain the typical asking rent was £1,350, and the Sheffield area was the cheapest of the big cities at £895.
These are asking rents on new listings between 26 September and 25 October 2026: 98,796 homes from studios to four bedrooms. Rooms in shared houses, student halls and homes with five or more bedrooms are left out, because many are priced per room. Northern Ireland isn't included, because few homes there are listed with us.
Average rent by city
Each city is its postcode area, so the figures take in some surrounding towns. Tap one to see homes to rent there now.
| Area | All | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | £2,500 | £2,104 | £2,700 | £3,500 |
| Bristol | £1,495 | £1,200 | £1,495 | £1,700 |
| Brighton | £1,400 | £1,200 | £1,500 | £1,800 |
| Edinburgh | £1,375 | £1,120 | £1,400 | £1,850 |
| Manchester | £1,325 | £1,150 | £1,350 | £1,525 |
| Cardiff | £1,250 | £950 | £1,200 | £1,500 |
| Leeds | £1,200 | £925 | £1,150 | £1,560 |
| Glasgow | £1,195 | £898 | £1,250 | £1,498 |
| Birmingham | £1,175 | £1,000 | £1,250 | £1,300 |
| Nottingham | £1,000 | £795 | £950 | £1,195 |
| Newcastle | £950 | £760 | £895 | £1,200 |
| Liverpool | £925 | £875 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Sheffield | £895 | £800 | £895 | £1,038 |
| Britain | £1,350 | £1,150 | £1,350 | £1,500 |
All figures are median monthly asking rents, the middle rent on the listing. London means the E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W and WC postcodes: inner London and parts of outer London, but not outer areas such as Croydon (CR), Bromley (BR) or Harrow (HA). Each other city is its whole postcode area (Bristol BS, Brighton BN, Edinburgh EH, Manchester M, Cardiff CF, Leeds LS, Glasgow G, Birmingham B, Nottingham NG, Newcastle NE, Liverpool L, Sheffield S), so Manchester takes in Salford and Sheffield takes in Rotherham and Chesterfield. The figures rest on between 1,039 homes (Edinburgh) and 19,320 (London).
How does this compare with the official figure?
The Office for National Statistics puts the average UK private rent at £1,406 a month in September 2026, up 3.8% in a year, and London's at £2,338. Our London figure is higher for two reasons. It measures the asking rent on homes newly put on the market, not the rent every existing tenant pays, and new lets are priced at today's market rate. And our London leaves out cheaper outer areas such as Croydon and Bromley, which the ONS includes. Across Britain our figure is a little lower than the ONS one: ours is a median, the middle rent, while the ONS figure is an average that a minority of very expensive homes pulls up. If you're looking to move, the asking rent is the one you'll meet: since 1 May 2026, landlords in England can't accept offers above the advertised rent, under the Renters' Rights Act.
Average rent in London by postcode
These are the cheapest and dearest London postcode districts for a two-bedroom home, out of the 63 districts with at least 40 two-bedroom homes listed in the month. Tap one to see two-bedroom flats to rent there.
Cheapest for two bedrooms
| Area | Typical 2-bed rent |
|---|---|
| North Finchley (N12) | £1,950 |
| Woolwich (SE18) | £2,000 |
| Streatham (SW16) | £2,000 |
| West Ealing (W13) | £2,100 |
| Lewisham (SE13) | £2,158 |
| Wimbledon (SW19) | £2,200 |
Dearest for two bedrooms
| Area | Typical 2-bed rent |
|---|---|
| Kensington (W8) | £5,362 |
| South Kensington (SW7) | £4,550 |
| Chelsea (SW3) | £4,550 |
| Bayswater and Paddington (W2) | £4,366 |
| Old Street and Angel (EC1V) | £4,000 |
| Notting Hill (W11) | £3,649 |
A two-bedroom home in Kensington asks more than two and a half times as much as one in North Finchley, Woolwich or Streatham.
Homes to rent at the typical price
Two-bedroom homes that were on home.co.uk at about the typical rent when we checked on 28 October 2026. Homes let quickly, so the area link shows what's there today.
Streatham (SW16), typical £2,000
- 2-bed flat, Greyhound Lane, Streatham: £1,900 a month
- 2-bed flat, Ambleside Avenue, Streatham: £2,100 a month
Woolwich (SE18), typical £2,000
- 2-bed flat, Duncombe House, Woolwich Riverside: £2,100 a month
- 2-bed flat, Building 50, Woolwich Riverside: £2,100 a month
Sheffield, typical 2-bed £895
- 2-bed flat, Morton Works, Sheffield: £925 a month
- 2-bed flat, Rockingham Street, Sheffield: £950 a month
Liverpool, typical 2-bed £1,000
- 2-bed house, Dentwood Road, Liverpool: £950 a month
- 2-bed apartment, Beech Street, Liverpool: £1,025 a month
How much do you need to earn to rent?
A common check is that your yearly income before tax is at least 30 times the monthly rent. Rules vary by agent and landlord, and a guarantor can help if you fall short. In England you can't make up the gap by paying months up front any more: since 1 May 2026, a landlord can take at most one month's rent in advance. On the 30 times rule:
| Rent | Income often asked for |
|---|---|
| £895 (Sheffield typical) | £26,850 |
| £1,350 (Britain typical) | £40,500 |
| £2,500 (London typical) | £75,000 |
In England, the Tenant Fees Act bans most letting fees and caps a deposit at five weeks' rent where the yearly rent is under £50,000, and six weeks' at £50,000 or more. Scotland and Wales have their own rules.
Find a home to rent
Search every home to rent on Home, check rental prices for any town before you view, or read our renting guide. If you're weighing renting against buying, see London house prices or the cheapest places to buy a house.
How we worked this out
We took every home listed to rent on home.co.uk between 26 September and 25 October 2026, counting each home once. We left out commercial property, parking and garages, rooms in shared houses, student halls, homes with five or more bedrooms, and anything priced outside £300 to £25,000 a month. Each figure is the median: the middle asking rent. These are the rents on the listing, not what tenants end up paying. We'll update this page every month with the same method.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average rent in London?
The typical home newly listed to rent in inner postcode London in the month to 25 October 2026 asked £2,500 a month. One-bedroom homes asked £2,104 and two-bedroom homes £2,700. The ONS average for all London tenancies, including existing ones, was £2,338 in September 2026.
What is the average rent in the UK?
New listings across Britain asked £1,350 a month. The ONS average for all UK private rents was £1,406 in September 2026, up 3.8% in a year.
Which UK city has the cheapest rent?
Of the 13 city postcode areas we track, the Sheffield area (S), with a typical asking rent of £895 a month, then Liverpool (L) at £925 and Newcastle (NE) at £950.
Where is the cheapest place to rent in London?
Among inner London postcode districts with at least 40 two-bedroom homes listed, North Finchley (N12) had the lowest typical two-bedroom rent at £1,950, with Woolwich (SE18) and Streatham (SW16) at £2,000.
Sources
- Private rent and house prices, UK, October 2026. Office for National Statistics. Accessed 28 October 2026.
- Renters' Rights Act overview for tenants. UK Government. Accessed 28 October 2026.
- Tenant Fees Act. UK Government. Accessed 28 October 2026.
- Home.co.uk asking-rent analysis: homes listed 26 September to 25 October 2026 (method on this page). home.co.uk. Accessed 28 October 2026.