Room rents rocket in UK cities

Sharp rises in room rents across major UK cities are affecting affordability for tenants and shaping demand as a result.

Research from flatshare site SpareRoom shows Belfast recorded the steepest increase among the UK’s 20 largest cities over the past five years.

Average room rents in the Northern Irish capital climbed 53.2% between Q4 2020 and Q4 2025.

Tenants now pay £589 a month on average, compared with £384 five years earlier, adding £2,460 a year to housing costs.

Rent affordability stretched

A director of platform, Matt Hutchinson, said: “Flatsharing has long afforded people the opportunity to live in cities, but disproportionate rent increases in recent years have created a barrier to urban living for those at the sharp end of the housing crisis.

“Affordability has been stretched to breaking point, and it’s even changing the dynamics of shared households.

“Flatsharers are getting older as younger people are being priced out of the rental market altogether, and suburban housesharing is now increasingly common as more people are priced further out of cities too.”

He added: “It’s not knowledge workers who suffer most, it’s often the lowest-paid workers – including those in essential and key worker roles, hospitality and retail jobs – who keep our cities functioning.”

Most expensive cities

The research shows the next most expensive for room rents is Newcastle with a five-year increase of 51.7%.

That takes the average room rent to £605 per month.

Cardiff ranks third, where rents have risen 49.9% over the same period to reach £666 a month.

Glasgow appears next with room rents having increased 44.5% in five years, bringing the average monthly cost to £690.

Manchester has recorded a five-year increase of 43.2%, although the latest annual figure shows a fall of 3.7% between Q4 2024 and Q4 2025.

In London the average monthly room rent now sits at £985, up from £721 in Q4 2020, representing a five-year increase of 36.6%.

National average room rent

Bradford remains the cheapest of the 20 cities analysed at £472 per month.

However, rents there are 31.6% higher than they were five years ago.

Across the UK, excluding inner London, average monthly room rents reached £670 in Q4 2025 – five years ago they stood at £494.

The average UK room rent is now £749 a month, compared with £580 in Q4 2020.