Rent tracker · updated 21 October 2026
Cheapest places to rent in England: September 2026
The short answer: Hartlepool is the cheapest place to rent in England, at an average of £562 a month, against £1,466 for England as a whole. The North East is the cheapest region, and Bexley the cheapest London borough. Every figure updates each month from the ONS.
England · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, September 2026
- Cheapest council
- £562
- Hartlepool, a month
- Cheapest region
- £790
- North East, a month
- Cheapest London borough
- £1,540
- Bexley, a month
- Cheapest major city
- £916
- Liverpool, a month
The 20 cheapest councils in England
Average monthly private rent in September 2026, with one and two-bedroom homes and the change over a year.
| # | Council | Region | Average | 1 bed | 2 bed | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartlepool | North East | £562 | £403 | £512 | +1.3% |
| 2 | Burnley | North West | £633 | £466 | £590 | +3.0% |
| 3 | Redcar and Cleveland | North East | £645 | £457 | £610 | +1.5% |
| 4 | Hyndburn | North West | £650 | £487 | £624 | +3.7% |
| 5 | North East Lincolnshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | £651 | £458 | £587 | +7.6% |
| 6 | County Durham | North East | £653 | £459 | £582 | +6.1% |
| 7 | North Lincolnshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | £654 | £472 | £617 | +5.8% |
| 8 | Pendle | North West | £673 | £499 | £636 | +6.4% |
| 9 | Cumberland | North West | £687 | £512 | £649 | +7.2% |
| 10 | Rotherham | Yorkshire and The Humber | £689 | £490 | £618 | +3.4% |
| 11 | Darlington | North East | £691 | £497 | £631 | +6.2% |
| 12 | Kingston upon Hull | Yorkshire and The Humber | £695 | £500 | £623 | +7.5% |
| 13 | Northumberland | North East | £696 | £496 | £631 | +7.0% |
| 14 | Barnsley | Yorkshire and The Humber | £697 | £507 | £631 | +7.2% |
| 15 | Doncaster | Yorkshire and The Humber | £699 | £496 | £641 | +5.2% |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | North East | £699 | £498 | £634 | +3.9% |
| 17 | Bolsover | East Midlands | £700 | £493 | £639 | +2.6% |
| 18 | East Lindsey | East Midlands | £707 | £525 | £670 | +7.2% |
| 19 | Sunderland | North East | £710 | £525 | £650 | +4.1% |
| 20 | Blackburn with Darwen | North West | £715 | £535 | £663 | +3.8% |
Cheap, but catching up: 12 of the 20 are rising faster than England’s +4.0%, led by North East Lincolnshire (+7.6%), Kingston upon Hull (+7.5%), Cumberland (+7.2%).
The cheapest place in every region
| Region | Region average | Cheapest council | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £790 | Hartlepool | £562 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £869 | North East Lincolnshire | £651 |
| East Midlands | £928 | Bolsover | £700 |
| North West | £975 | Burnley | £633 |
| West Midlands | £983 | Stoke-on-Trent | £718 |
| South West | £1,251 | Torridge | £792 |
| East of England | £1,298 | Great Yarmouth | £841 |
| South East | £1,438 | Isle of Wight | £953 |
| London | £2,338 | Bexley | £1,540 |
Cheapest areas to rent in London
The ten London boroughs with the lowest average rent. The London average is £2,338 a month, so even the cheapest borough costs more than the average home in every other region.
| # | Council | Average | 1 bed | 2 bed | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bexley | £1,540 | £1,231 | £1,529 | +1.7% |
| 2 | Havering | £1,567 | £1,218 | £1,544 | +0.9% |
| 3 | Sutton | £1,569 | £1,248 | £1,567 | +3.0% |
| 4 | Hillingdon | £1,581 | £1,260 | £1,598 | +3.4% |
| 5 | Croydon | £1,586 | £1,267 | £1,577 | +3.4% |
| 6 | Bromley | £1,693 | £1,318 | £1,649 | +3.2% |
| 7 | Barking and Dagenham | £1,700 | £1,378 | £1,723 | +2.5% |
| 8 | Redbridge | £1,734 | £1,373 | £1,689 | +2.2% |
| 9 | Waltham Forest | £1,772 | £1,407 | £1,732 | +2.4% |
| 10 | Harrow | £1,781 | £1,395 | £1,718 | +2.8% |
Renting in London: rents by bedrooms, what you need to earn, and licensing
Major cities, cheapest first
- 1Liverpool£916
- 2Sheffield£936
- 3Nottingham£1,015
- 4Leicester£1,020
- 5Birmingham£1,106
- 6Leeds£1,148
- 7Salford£1,173
- 8Newcastle£1,220
- 9Manchester£1,380
- 10Bristol£1,893
Cheapest for a one-bedroom home
- 1Hartlepool£403
- 2Redcar and Cleveland£457
- 3North East Lincolnshire£458
- 4County Durham£459
- 5Burnley£466
- 6North Lincolnshire£472
- 7Hyndburn£487
- 8Rotherham£490
- 9Bolsover£493
- 10Doncaster£496
Cheap is not the whole story
These are averages across every private tenancy in the council, including people who moved in years ago. A home advertised today usually asks more than the average, so use these figures to compare areas, not to price one home.
A low rent can come with higher running costs. An older home with a poor energy rating can cost more to heat than the rent saves, and council tax varies by band and by council. Check the home itself before you commit.
About the figures
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, published 21 October 2026, for 294 councils in England. Figures for small councils move more from month to month than those for cities, and the ONS revises recent months. There are no figures for the City of London or the Isles of Scilly. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. You are welcome to quote these figures; please credit “RenterCheck analysis of ONS data” and link to this page.
Questions about the cheapest places to rent
What is the cheapest place to rent in England?
Hartlepool, where the average private rent is £562 a month (ONS, September 2026). Burnley (£633) and Redcar and Cleveland (£645) come next. The England average is £1,466.
What is the cheapest region to rent in England?
The North East, at an average of £790 a month. London is the most expensive region at £2,338.
What is the cheapest area to rent in London?
Bexley, at an average of £1,540 a month, then Havering (£1,567) and Sutton (£1,569). The London average is £2,338.
What is the cheapest major city to rent in England?
Of England’s major cities, Liverpool is cheapest at £916 a month, followed by Sheffield (£936).
Where is the cheapest place to rent a one-bedroom home?
Hartlepool, where a one-bedroom home averages £403 a month, then Redcar and Cleveland (£457).
Does this cover the whole UK?
No. These figures cover England’s councils only. The ONS publishes rents for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland separately, and they are not in this ranking.