Renting in England
Renting in Cornwall
The average private rent in Cornwall is £995 a month (Office for National Statistics, September 2026), +0.9% on a year earlier, and £471 less than the England average of £1,466. Below: rents by bedrooms, what you need to earn and have saved to move in, and the local rules worth knowing before you sign.
England · Figures for September 2026, published 21 October 2026
- Average rent
- £995 a month
- ONS, September 2026
- In the last year
- +0.9%
- England +4.0%
- Against England
- £471 less
- England average £1,466
- Most expensive councils
- 171st of 294
- by average rent
What stands out in Cornwall
- Rents in Cornwall are rising more slowly than a year ago: 0.9% in the latest year, against 7% the year before.
- Since September 2021 the average rent here has gone from £785 to £995, a rise of 26.8%: less than the 34.8% rise across England.
- It has the 9th lowest average rent of the 26 councils in the South West.
- Of the 6 councils nearest to it, 4 are cheaper to rent in. The cheapest, Torridge, averages £792 a month, £203 less.
- A second bedroom adds about £192 a month to the average rent here (£685 for one bedroom, £877 for two), against £142 across England.
Average rent in Cornwall
Monthly averages for private rented homes across Cornwall, against England as a whole.
| Home | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £685 | £1,199 |
| 2 bedrooms | £877 | £1,341 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,073 | £1,497 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,496 | £2,170 |
| Home | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £806 | £1,449 |
| Terraced house | £1,029 | £1,443 |
| Semi-detached house | £1,066 | £1,458 |
| Detached house | £1,273 | £1,649 |
These averages include tenants who moved in years ago, whose rent hasn’t kept up with the market, so a home advertised in Cornwall today will usually ask more. To judge a rent you’ve been quoted, compare it with similar homes advertised near the address. How to check a rent or look up the average rent for a Cornwall postcode.
Cornwall and the councils around it
If you can live a little further out, the average rent changes quickly across a council boundary.
| Council | Average rent | Against Cornwall | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall | £995 | — | |
| South Hams | £1,014 | £19 more | |
| Plymouth | £1,008 | £13 more | |
| Teignbridge | £965 | £30 less | |
| Torbay | £924 | £71 less | |
| West Devon | £854 | £141 less | |
| Torridge | £792 | £203 less |
What you need to earn, and to have saved
At Cornwall’s average rents. Most letting agents look for a yearly income before tax of about 30 times the monthly rent. Upfront, the law caps the holding deposit at a week’s rent and the tenancy deposit at five weeks’ rent; most landlords also ask for the first month in advance.
| Home | Average rent | Income agents look for | Most deposit allowed | First month and deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £685 | £20,550 a year | £790 | £1,475 |
| 2 bedrooms | £877 | £26,310 a year | £1,011 | £1,888 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,073 | £32,190 a year | £1,238 | £2,311 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,496 | £44,880 a year | £1,726 | £3,222 |
Anything else, such as fees for viewings, referencing or admin, is banned. Work out the limits for your own rent or see how much rent you can afford. On Universal Credit or Housing Benefit? Find the Local Housing Allowance rate for a Cornwall postcode, which caps the help you can get with the rent.
The landlord database in Cornwall
England’s new database of private landlords is opening region by region. Cornwall is in the South West, where landlords can register from 15 August 2027 and must have registered by 14 November 2027, under the draft rollout. The South West dates.
Check a home in Cornwall
Found a place? The free check covers its energy rating, flood risk, crime nearby and past sales, in about a minute. Add the rent to see the most you can be asked for upfront.
Questions about renting in Cornwall
What is the average rent in Cornwall?
£995 a month across all private rented homes in Cornwall, according to the Office for National Statistics for September 2026. A one-bedroom home averages £685. That average includes tenants who moved in years ago, so homes advertised today usually ask more.
How much do I need to earn to rent in Cornwall?
Most letting agents want a yearly income before tax of about 30 times the monthly rent. At Cornwall’s average of £995, that is £29,850 a year between the tenants, or £20,550 for an average one-bedroom home. It is a convention, not a law, so an agent can set its own figure.
How much deposit can a Cornwall landlord ask for?
No more than five weeks’ rent while the rent is under £50,000 a year, under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. On Cornwall’s average rent that is about £1,148, and a holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent, about £229. The deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days.
Is Cornwall expensive to rent in?
The average rent in Cornwall, £995 a month, is £471 less than the England average of £1,466. That makes it the 171st most expensive of 294 councils. The most popular areas cost more than the council-wide figure, so compare a quoted rent with homes advertised nearby.
Are rents going up in Cornwall?
The average rent in Cornwall was +0.9% on a year earlier in September 2026, against +4.0% across England. A landlord can raise the rent on a periodic tenancy only once a year, using a section 13 notice.
When does the landlord database start in Cornwall?
Cornwall is in the South West. Under the draft rollout, landlords there can register from 15 August 2027 and must have registered every home they let by 14 November 2027. The dates are in draft regulations and could change.
Renting in other cities
Sources: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, September 2026, published 21 October 2026; Tenant Fees Act 2019. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.