Rent tracker · updated 21 October 2026

Salary needed to rent in England: every council, September 2026

The short answer: letting agents usually want a yearly income of 30 times the monthly rent. For the average two-bedroom home in England, at £1,341 a month, that is about £40,230 a year before tax. It ranges from £15,360 in Hartlepool to £104,250 in Kensington and Chelsea.

England · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, September 2026

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England, 2-bed: £40,230; £1,341 a month rent
London, 2-bed: £67,170; £2,239 a month rent
Highest: £104,250; Kensington and Chelsea
Lowest: £15,360; Hartlepool

Want your own figure? The rent affordability calculator works from your income, and shows the average rents in any council.

Where you need the highest salary

The 20 councils where agents would usually look for the highest income to rent an average two-bedroom home.

The 20 councils needing the highest salary to rent a two-bedroom home, September 2026
#	Council	Region	2-bed rent	Salary needed
1	Kensington and Chelsea	London	£3,475	£104,250
2	Westminster	London	£3,320	£99,600
3	Islington	London	£2,712	£81,360
4	Hammersmith and Fulham	London	£2,656	£79,680
5	Camden	London	£2,634	£79,020
6	Hackney	London	£2,498	£74,940
7	Wandsworth	London	£2,469	£74,070
8	Tower Hamlets	London	£2,427	£72,810
9	Southwark	London	£2,387	£71,610
10	Lambeth	London	£2,353	£70,590
11	Richmond upon Thames	London	£2,237	£67,110
12	Ealing	London	£2,049	£61,470
13	Haringey	London	£2,040	£61,200
14	Merton	London	£2,032	£60,960
15	Newham	London	£1,995	£59,850
16	Hounslow	London	£1,956	£58,680
17	Brent	London	£1,937	£58,110
18	Greenwich	London	£1,935	£58,050
19	Barnet	London	£1,862	£55,860
20	Lewisham	London	£1,793	£53,790

Where you can rent on the lowest salary

The 20 councils where the income agents look for is lowest, for an average two-bedroom home.

The 20 councils needing the lowest salary to rent a two-bedroom home, September 2026
#	Council	Region	2-bed rent	Salary needed
1	Hartlepool	North East	£512	£15,360
2	County Durham	North East	£582	£17,460
3	North East Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	£587	£17,610
4	Burnley	North West	£590	£17,700
5	Redcar and Cleveland	North East	£610	£18,300
6	North Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	£617	£18,510
7	Rotherham	Yorkshire and The Humber	£618	£18,540
8	Kingston upon Hull	Yorkshire and The Humber	£623	£18,690
9	Hyndburn	North West	£624	£18,720
10	Northumberland	North East	£631	£18,930
11	Darlington	North East	£631	£18,930
12	Barnsley	Yorkshire and The Humber	£631	£18,930
13	Middlesbrough	North East	£634	£19,020
14	Pendle	North West	£636	£19,080
15	Bolsover	East Midlands	£639	£19,170
16	Doncaster	Yorkshire and The Humber	£641	£19,230
17	South Tyneside	North East	£648	£19,440
18	Cumberland	North West	£649	£19,470
19	Sunderland	North East	£650	£19,500
20	East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	£650	£19,500

By region, 2-bed

London£67,170
South East£38,520
East of England£34,590
South West£32,100
West Midlands£26,610
North West£26,610
East Midlands£24,930
Yorkshire and The Humber£23,160
North East£20,940

Major cities, 2-bed

Bristol£46,530
Manchester£37,170
Salford£32,580
Newcastle£30,300
Birmingham£30,270
Leeds£29,310
Nottingham£27,480
Leicester£26,700
Sheffield£25,320
Liverpool£25,200

Every council, A to Z

The yearly income agents usually look for, before tax, to rent the average one, two and three-bedroom home in each council.

Salary needed to rent in every council in England, September 2026
Council	1 bed	2 bed	3 bed
Adur	£30,090	£39,150	£48,420
Amber Valley	£17,670	£22,470	£27,690
Arun	£25,650	£34,470	£42,210
Ashfield	£16,860	£21,870	£25,560
Ashford	£26,940	£34,440	£42,420
Babergh	£21,570	£27,630	£33,480
Barking and Dagenham	£41,340	£51,690	£57,060
Barnet	£45,060	£55,860	£67,830
Barnsley	£15,210	£18,930	£22,620
Basildon	£29,550	£38,160	£45,390
Basingstoke and Deane	£27,960	£36,390	£44,130
Bassetlaw	£15,240	£19,920	£24,270
Bath and North East Somerset	£36,360	£45,900	£54,600
Bedford	£24,060	£30,960	£37,950
Bexley	£36,930	£45,870	£56,100
Birmingham	£25,020	£30,270	£34,230
Blaby	£21,330	£27,360	£32,490
Blackburn with Darwen	£16,050	£19,890	£23,490
Blackpool	£15,090	£19,680	£23,940
Bolsover	£14,790	£19,170	£22,230
Bolton	£19,740	£24,660	£29,910
Boston	£18,210	£23,010	£27,810
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	£27,540	£35,100	£43,740
Bracknell Forest	£32,400	£40,860	£49,980
Bradford	£16,350	£20,100	£24,090
Braintree	£25,710	£33,240	£40,980
Breckland	£20,100	£25,590	£31,590
Brent	£47,340	£58,110	£68,310
Brentwood	£33,270	£42,030	£51,630
Brighton and Hove	£35,820	£45,750	£54,180
Bristol	£36,900	£46,530	£53,070
Broadland	£20,820	£26,910	£32,490
Bromley	£39,540	£49,470	£60,060
Bromsgrove	£21,630	£27,120	£32,940
Broxbourne	£34,080	£43,680	£53,640
Broxtowe	£19,530	£25,200	£30,150
Buckinghamshire	£31,290	£39,630	£48,480
Burnley	£13,980	£17,700	£20,940
Bury	£20,580	£26,670	£31,980
Calderdale	£16,530	£20,640	£24,630
Cambridge	£37,650	£48,390	£57,240
Camden	£61,890	£79,020	£92,130
Cannock Chase	£17,670	£23,460	£28,980
Canterbury	£26,400	£34,140	£41,310
Castle Point	£28,350	£35,160	£42,900
Central Bedfordshire	£26,100	£33,150	£41,580
Charnwood	£20,490	£25,590	£31,110
Chelmsford	£31,740	£38,730	£46,290
Cheltenham	£26,250	£33,090	£40,920
Cherwell	£29,520	£36,870	£44,550
Cheshire East	£21,030	£27,150	£33,450
Cheshire West and Chester	£21,930	£27,660	£33,960
Chesterfield	£16,260	£20,940	£25,050
Chichester	£28,590	£36,870	£45,510
Chorley	£18,030	£23,040	£27,300
Colchester	£24,630	£31,980	£39,180
Cornwall	£20,550	£26,310	£32,190
Cotswold	£26,310	£33,450	£40,680
County Durham	£13,770	£17,460	£20,910
Coventry	£22,800	£27,450	£32,070
Crawley	£32,130	£41,760	£49,560
Croydon	£38,010	£47,310	£55,920
Cumberland	£15,360	£19,470	£23,760
Dacorum	£33,330	£41,820	£50,310
Darlington	£14,910	£18,930	£23,070
Dartford	£32,850	£42,720	£51,480
Derby	£18,450	£23,640	£28,470
Derbyshire Dales	£18,000	£23,040	£27,600
Doncaster	£14,880	£19,230	£22,890
Dorset	£21,990	£29,070	£35,820
Dover	£22,170	£28,980	£35,520
Dudley	£18,270	£23,400	£28,200
Ealing	£49,260	£61,470	£72,810
East Cambridgeshire	£22,020	£28,860	£35,160
East Devon	£20,730	£27,120	£33,990
East Hampshire	£27,090	£35,460	£44,640
East Hertfordshire	£32,910	£41,910	£50,760
East Lindsey	£15,750	£20,100	£24,690
East Riding of Yorkshire	£15,060	£19,500	£23,970
East Staffordshire	£18,480	£23,370	£28,440
East Suffolk	£18,210	£23,940	£28,410
Eastbourne	£24,690	£32,490	£39,390
Eastleigh	£25,920	£33,450	£41,040
Elmbridge	£37,770	£47,520	£57,960
Enfield	£42,780	£53,100	£63,180
Epping Forest	£36,930	£47,580	£58,320
Epsom and Ewell	£35,910	£44,940	£56,880
Erewash	£18,090	£23,760	£28,620
Exeter	£27,420	£33,900	£40,860
Fareham	£24,990	£32,280	£40,020
Fenland	£18,840	£24,270	£29,460
Folkestone and Hythe	£24,360	£31,230	£38,940
Forest of Dean	£17,820	£24,000	£28,830
Fylde	£18,390	£23,730	£28,500
Gateshead	£17,790	£21,810	£25,440
Gedling	£18,990	£23,970	£29,550
Gloucester	£22,440	£29,280	£36,570
Gosport	£24,750	£31,470	£38,370
Gravesham	£27,450	£36,270	£44,280
Great Yarmouth	£17,700	£23,100	£27,990
Greenwich	£46,920	£58,050	£67,410
Guildford	£35,910	£46,710	£56,610
Hackney	£60,210	£74,940	£85,680
Halton	£16,470	£20,700	£24,960
Hammersmith and Fulham	£60,750	£79,680	£90,930
Harborough	£21,570	£27,570	£33,810
Haringey	£49,290	£61,200	£70,890
Harlow	£30,840	£40,050	£47,550
Harrow	£41,850	£51,540	£62,070
Hart	£30,750	£39,180	£47,580
Hartlepool	£12,090	£15,360	£18,360
Hastings	£20,910	£26,940	£33,060
Havant	£25,710	£32,760	£40,920
Havering	£36,540	£46,320	£55,530
Herefordshire	£18,090	£23,460	£29,010
Hertsmere	£38,070	£48,570	£58,800
High Peak	£18,750	£24,360	£29,790
Hillingdon	£37,800	£47,940	£57,870
Hinckley and Bosworth	£19,110	£25,260	£30,810
Horsham	£30,990	£40,980	£51,540
Hounslow	£47,670	£58,680	£67,620
Huntingdonshire	£22,500	£29,220	£35,370
Hyndburn	£14,610	£18,720	£21,900
Ipswich	£22,440	£27,630	£31,620
Isle of Wight	£19,920	£26,220	£32,760
Islington	£65,670	£81,360	£90,660
Kensington and Chelsea	£80,220	£104,250	£123,900
King's Lynn and West Norfolk	£19,500	£25,470	£31,620
Kingston upon Hull	£15,000	£18,690	£22,350
Kingston upon Thames	£41,580	£52,950	£65,010
Kirklees	£17,550	£21,420	£26,070
Knowsley	£18,060	£23,070	£27,960
Lambeth	£56,700	£70,590	£80,880
Lancaster	£18,180	£22,740	£27,990
Leeds	£23,490	£29,310	£34,260
Leicester	£21,390	£26,700	£31,290
Lewes	£27,900	£36,780	£45,540
Lewisham	£43,770	£53,790	£61,860
Lichfield	£22,140	£28,950	£34,680
Lincoln	£19,860	£24,960	£29,880
Liverpool	£20,640	£25,200	£29,010
Luton	£27,390	£33,660	£40,440
Maidstone	£27,660	£35,970	£44,040
Maldon	£23,820	£30,930	£37,320
Malvern Hills	£21,090	£26,580	£32,880
Manchester	£30,210	£37,170	£43,230
Mansfield	£16,650	£21,420	£25,620
Medway	£26,910	£34,200	£40,200
Melton	£16,770	£22,050	£27,120
Merton	£49,350	£60,960	£72,540
Mid Devon	£19,290	£24,360	£29,970
Mid Suffolk	£21,750	£27,840	£33,900
Mid Sussex	£30,540	£39,060	£49,080
Middlesbrough	£14,940	£19,020	£22,620
Milton Keynes	£29,370	£36,570	£43,650
Mole Valley	£34,470	£44,070	£56,190
New Forest	£26,040	£34,140	£41,940
Newark and Sherwood	£16,860	£22,290	£26,910
Newcastle upon Tyne	£24,480	£30,300	£35,970
Newcastle-under-Lyme	£17,430	£22,410	£26,970
Newham	£48,930	£59,850	£66,480
North Devon	£17,700	£23,400	£29,010
North East Derbyshire	£17,070	£21,720	£26,400
North East Lincolnshire	£13,740	£17,610	£20,580
North Hertfordshire	£30,930	£38,790	£47,640
North Kesteven	£17,430	£22,800	£27,750
North Lincolnshire	£14,160	£18,510	£22,560
North Norfolk	£18,690	£24,270	£30,090
North Northamptonshire	£20,580	£26,550	£32,160
North Somerset	£24,660	£32,460	£40,500
North Tyneside	£17,760	£22,140	£27,240
North Warwickshire	£21,630	£26,520	£31,830
North West Leicestershire	£19,110	£24,720	£29,940
North Yorkshire	£17,850	£23,130	£28,350
Northumberland	£14,880	£18,930	£23,040
Norwich	£23,430	£29,280	£34,320
Nottingham	£22,050	£27,480	£31,620
Nuneaton and Bedworth	£19,470	£24,900	£30,180
Oadby and Wigston	£21,900	£26,610	£33,600
Oldham	£21,240	£26,640	£32,340
Oxford	£40,380	£49,860	£60,900
Pendle	£14,970	£19,080	£22,290
Peterborough	£21,330	£26,880	£32,460
Plymouth	£21,210	£26,670	£32,070
Portsmouth	£27,090	£34,170	£40,980
Preston	£17,370	£21,930	£25,800
Reading	£33,600	£41,970	£50,400
Redbridge	£41,190	£50,670	£59,760
Redcar and Cleveland	£13,710	£18,300	£21,750
Redditch	£20,550	£26,610	£31,830
Reigate and Banstead	£34,470	£44,790	£54,960
Ribble Valley	£18,330	£23,280	£28,230
Richmond upon Thames	£52,320	£67,110	£81,090
Rochdale	£18,720	£24,090	£28,950
Rochford	£26,730	£35,130	£42,930
Rossendale	£17,790	£22,740	£27,360
Rother	£24,060	£30,870	£38,820
Rotherham	£14,700	£18,540	£22,410
Rugby	£22,680	£28,050	£33,780
Runnymede	£32,790	£42,180	£50,610
Rushcliffe	£21,780	£27,030	£34,140
Rushmoor	£29,460	£38,220	£46,170
Rutland	£20,370	£25,320	£29,970
Salford	£26,670	£32,580	£38,730
Sandwell	£20,400	£25,530	£30,450
Sefton	£18,690	£24,450	£29,850
Sevenoaks	£38,340	£47,880	£58,440
Sheffield	£20,790	£25,320	£29,160
Shropshire	£18,330	£23,190	£28,770
Slough	£34,260	£42,780	£51,480
Solihull	£25,830	£32,070	£38,040
Somerset	£20,850	£27,540	£34,260
South Cambridgeshire	£30,300	£38,400	£45,930
South Derbyshire	£18,420	£24,180	£30,390
South Gloucestershire	£30,180	£38,490	£47,010
South Hams	£22,140	£27,660	£34,230
South Holland	£17,880	£22,290	£27,210
South Kesteven	£17,550	£22,740	£27,510
South Norfolk	£20,940	£26,790	£33,360
South Oxfordshire	£31,590	£39,210	£49,020
South Ribble	£16,950	£22,260	£26,850
South Staffordshire	£20,100	£25,920	£30,780
South Tyneside	£15,690	£19,440	£23,400
Southampton	£26,490	£33,510	£40,890
Southend-on-Sea	£26,520	£33,720	£41,130
Southwark	£57,210	£71,610	£83,370
Spelthorne	£37,560	£48,270	£56,190
St Albans	£38,160	£49,050	£60,690
St. Helens	£17,880	£22,260	£27,210
Stafford	£18,930	£23,760	£29,370
Staffordshire Moorlands	£15,870	£20,670	£26,100
Stevenage	£30,930	£39,750	£46,740
Stockport	£24,480	£31,260	£38,190
Stockton-on-Tees	£16,110	£20,070	£23,970
Stoke-on-Trent	£15,600	£19,950	£24,000
Stratford-on-Avon	£24,480	£30,630	£38,070
Stroud	£22,410	£28,980	£35,520
Sunderland	£15,750	£19,500	£23,280
Surrey Heath	£31,230	£40,200	£48,630
Sutton	£37,440	£47,010	£57,480
Swale	£23,640	£31,260	£37,800
Swindon	£24,750	£29,820	£36,810
Tameside	£20,640	£26,700	£32,040
Tamworth	£20,340	£24,960	£30,360
Tandridge	£34,980	£44,280	£55,380
Teignbridge	£19,710	£26,190	£32,730
Telford and Wrekin	£17,970	£23,130	£28,650
Tendring	£22,830	£29,370	£35,760
Test Valley	£26,640	£34,320	£42,270
Tewkesbury	£22,650	£29,700	£37,740
Thanet	£23,310	£30,300	£37,110
Three Rivers	£38,250	£47,700	£59,280
Thurrock	£28,380	£36,660	£44,520
Tonbridge and Malling	£31,170	£40,290	£49,170
Torbay	£18,630	£24,570	£30,030
Torridge	£17,010	£22,260	£27,360
Tower Hamlets	£59,940	£72,810	£82,800
Trafford	£28,380	£36,150	£44,640
Tunbridge Wells	£31,860	£42,420	£51,420
Uttlesford	£27,480	£34,680	£43,830
Vale of White Horse	£29,940	£37,350	£45,660
Wakefield	£17,370	£21,900	£26,220
Walsall	£19,710	£24,060	£28,800
Waltham Forest	£42,210	£51,960	£61,050
Wandsworth	£58,290	£74,070	£84,540
Warrington	£20,280	£25,170	£30,660
Warwick	£26,550	£33,240	£40,020
Watford	£38,040	£48,060	£54,900
Waverley	£31,950	£40,920	£49,410
Wealden	£26,940	£34,410	£42,990
Welwyn Hatfield	£31,830	£41,190	£49,350
West Berkshire	£28,440	£36,960	£45,960
West Devon	£18,240	£23,340	£28,830
West Lancashire	£17,640	£21,930	£25,350
West Lindsey	£16,260	£20,280	£24,810
West Northamptonshire	£22,620	£28,740	£35,130
West Oxfordshire	£28,830	£36,540	£45,930
West Suffolk	£24,630	£31,950	£39,780
Westminster	£76,710	£99,600	£117,360
Westmorland and Furness	£18,180	£23,280	£28,380
Wigan	£16,320	£21,090	£25,260
Wiltshire	£22,650	£29,430	£36,930
Winchester	£30,630	£39,750	£48,990
Windsor and Maidenhead	£37,350	£47,040	£57,540
Wirral	£17,220	£22,290	£27,270
Woking	£34,140	£43,500	£53,100
Wokingham	£31,680	£40,440	£49,500
Wolverhampton	£20,250	£25,350	£30,420
Worcester	£21,480	£27,450	£32,850
Worthing	£26,730	£35,520	£42,960
Wychavon	£20,280	£26,370	£32,490
Wyre	£15,900	£21,630	£25,800
Wyre Forest	£17,760	£22,590	£27,330
York	£26,370	£32,640	£38,580

What these figures mean

30 times the monthly rent is the threshold most referencing companies apply, to the incomes of everyone named on the tenancy together. It is a convention, not the law: some agents use a different multiple, and passing it doesn’t entitle anyone to a tenancy.

The rents are averages across every private tenancy in the council, including people who moved in years ago. A home advertised today usually asks more, so the income an agent wants for it will usually be higher too. Use these figures to compare areas, then check the home itself.

Check a property free Work out your own figure

About the figures

Rents: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, published 21 October 2026, for 294 councils in England. The salary is 30 times the average monthly rent for each size of home; a guarantor is usually asked for 36 times. Figures for small councils move more from month to month than those for cities, and the ONS revises recent months. 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 salary needed to rent

How much do I need to earn to rent in England?

To rent the average two-bedroom home in England, at £1,341 a month, most letting agents would look for a household income of about £40,230 a year before tax: 30 times the monthly rent (ONS, September 2026). For a one-bedroom home it is about £35,970.

How much do I need to earn to rent in London?

About £67,170 a year for the average two-bedroom home in London, at £2,239 a month, and about £52,920 for a one-bedroom home. It varies a lot by borough: see the table below.

Where in England do you need the highest salary to rent?

Kensington and Chelsea, where a two-bedroom home averages £3,475 a month, so agents would usually look for about £104,250 a year. Westminster (£99,600) and Islington (£81,360) come next.

Where can you rent on the lowest salary?

Hartlepool, where a two-bedroom home averages £512 a month, so about £15,360 a year would usually pass an agent’s check. County Durham (£17,460) is next.

Is it salary before or after tax?

Before tax. Referencing companies usually compare your gross yearly income with the rent: 30 times the monthly rent is the common threshold. It is a convention, not the law, and some agents use a different multiple.

What if I don’t earn enough?

Renting with others helps, because agents usually add together the incomes of everyone named on the tenancy. Otherwise, a guarantor is the usual route: they are typically asked to earn 36 times the monthly rent, about £48,276 for the average two-bedroom home in England.

Check the property

Found a home you can afford? Check it free before you commit.