CARLISLE is the most affordable city to rent a home in, according to a new study which looked at rental costs across Britain.

Rightmove, which analysed advertised rents in more than 50 cities across Britain (outside of London), said the average rent being asked in Carlisle was £791 per month, 41 per cent below the national average.

St Albans in Hertfordshire - a popular location for London commuters - topped the list of the most expensive cities to rent outside the capital, with rents of £2,307 per month, or 71 per cent above the average.

The national average advertised rent outside London is a record £1,349 per calendar month, Rightmove said.

The data was released as students prepare to start the new academic year.

Tim Bannister, a property expert at Rightmove, said: “The rental divide across Great Britain is clear, with an average difference of just over £1,500 (per month) between the most expensive and cheapest cities.

“Many of these cities have seen rental growth of over 40 per cent over the past five years, meaning it’s likely to be a significant consideration when students are thinking about where to study, and those who have already graduated working out if they can afford to stay in that city and find a job.”

Lists

Here are average asking rents in the top 10 most expensive cities in Rightmove’s study (figures are for August 2024):

  1. St Albans, east of England, £2,307
  2. Oxford, South East, £2,237
  3. Cambridge, east of England, £2,072
  4. Winchester, South East, £2,049
  5. Brighton, South East, £2,040
  6. Edinburgh, Scotland, £1,778
  7. Bristol, South West, £1,758
  8. Chelmsford, east of England, £1,686
  9. Milton Keynes, South East, £1,590
  10. Southend-on-Sea, east of England, £1,495

And here are the 10 cheapest cities to rent in:

  1. Carlisle, £791
  2. Hull, Yorkshire and the Humber, £804
  3. Sunderland, North East, £807
  4. Stoke-on-Trent, West Midlands, £863
  5. Wrexham, Wales, £874
  6. Bradford, Yorkshire and the Humber, £947
  7. Preston, North West, £952
  8. Doncaster, Yorkshire and the Humber, £974
  9. Lancaster, North West, £993
  10. Wakefield, Yorkshire and the Humber, £1,030