Price hikes finally slowed down when it comes to rent increases, with prices drastically varying across different areas in the UK. Zoopla has released their list of the cheapest places to rent a home in the UK, detailing the most affordable areas in the country, organised by region.
According to the data, the UK has seen a slowdown in rent hikes, with 2.2% yearly rise, which is “the slowest pace of rental growth in four years”. As of their latest data (December 2025), the UK rent now averages £1,320 (or £18,840 per year).
The North East was named the cheapest region to rent a home in the UK, with £760 per month, while Northern Ireland was second on the list. Yorkshire and the Humber is the third cheapest region, and Scotland came fourth. East Midlands still made the top five, while Wales and the North West came sixth and seventh respectively.
The cheapest places to rent a home in the UK
| Region | Average rent per month | Annual rental growth (%) | Annual rental growth (£) |
| North East | £760 | 4.5% | £30 |
| Northern Ireland | £854 | 11.0% | £80 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £869 | 1.8% | £20 |
| Scotland | £882 | 1.7% | £10 |
| East Midlands | £923 | 1.9% | £20 |
| Wales | £945 | 2.4% | £20 |
| North West | £955 | 3.2% | £30 |
| West Midlands | £986 | 1.7% | £20 |
| South West | £1,149 | 3.0% | £30 |
| East of England | £1,263 | 2.5% | £30 |
| South East | £1,397 | 2.1% | £30 |
| London | £2,224 | 1.6% | £40 |
The cheapest areas to rent a home in Scotland
Burnley, just over an hour from Liverpool, is officially the cheapest place to rent a home in the North West, with an average rent of just £666 per month, with and a whopping annual rental growth of 9.9%. Allerdale is second on the list, with a median rent of £615 and a slightly smaller annual growth of 6.6%, while Pendle is the third cheapest, costing renters £668 per month on average.
| Local authority | Average rent (pcm) | Annual rental growth (%) | Annual rental growth (£) |
| Burnley | £642 | 3.5% | £20 |
| Allerdale | £666 | 9.9% | £60 |
| Pendle | £668 | 4.1% | £30 |
The cheapest cities to rent a home in the UK
| City | Average rent per month | Annual rental growth (%) | Annual rental growth (£) |
| Burnley | £652 | 3.9% | £20 |
| Sunderland | £661 | 3.3% | £20 |
| Hull | £674 | 5.6% | £40 |
| Middlesbrough | £674 | -0.5% | £0 |
| Grimsby | £683 | 3.1% | £20 |
| Doncaster | £745 | 5.6% | £40 |
| Aberdeen | £746 | 2.5% | £20 |
| Barnsley | £747 | 6.1% | £40 |
| Blackpool | £752 | 2.7% | £20 |
| Huddersfield | £771 | 4.3% | £30 |