Least affordable rents in England and Wales revealed - the top 20 most expensive places

Private in some parts of the country are paying almost half of their income on rent - find out the situation in your local area using our interactive map.

The typical private rent in England cost 34.2% of the average household income in the financial year ending March 2023. Renters were charged an average of £1,178 a month, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (). That’s compared to an average household income of £3,448 a month for people who rent privately.

Private rents in Wales are more affordable, with the median rent working out as 27.2% of the median household income (£667 rent compared with a £2,452 monthly income). But in some parts of the country, renters have to spend a far larger proportion of their income on rent.

The average private rent in Kensington and Chelsea works out as 52.2% of the average household income. That’s the largest proportion of any local authority in England and Wales. That’s actually down from 62.7% in 2014/15, the earliest year for which figures are available. Manchester is the next least affordable place to rent in the country.

The average private rent in the city made up 45.6% of the average private-renting household income in the 2022/23 financial year. That’s up from 37.1% as recently as 2019/20 and 35.3% in 2018/19, meaning that rents have become much less affordable in a short space of time. Westminster is the next least affordable place to rent, with rent making up 45.3% of average private-renting household income. In Brighton and Hove the ratio is 44.7%, in Hackney it’s 44.2%, in Camden it’s 42.2% and in Bristol it’s 41.2%.

You can see how affordable renting is in your local area using our interactive map.

North Lincolnshire is the most affordable place to rent in England and Wales. The average rent there made up just 18.8% of average private-renting household income. In Stoke-on-Trent, Copeland and Staffordshire Moorlands average rent there made up just 19.1% of average private-renting household income. In Fenland and East Suffolk it was 19.6%, and in Barnsley it was 19.7%.

The 20 least affordable places to rent in England and Wales

Local authority: Percent of average household income spent on rent

• Kensington and Chelsea: 52.2%
• Manchester: 45.6%
• Westminster: 45.3%
• Brighton and Hove: 44.7%
• Hackney: 44.2%
• Camden: 42.2%
• Bristol, City of: 41.2%
• Haringey: 41.1%
• Hammersmith and Fulham: 41%
• Trafford: 40.1%
• Newham: 39.5%
• Southwark: 39.2%
• Oxford: 38.9%
• Bath and North East Somerset: 38.7%
• Newcastle upon Tyne: 38.7%
• Islington: 38.7%
• Brent: 38.4%
• Tower Hamlets: 38.4%
• Sevenoaks: 38.2%
• Guildford: 37.8%

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