Buckinghamshire has the postcode with the highest average rent in the current market, it’s claimed.

Tenants there pay 358% more than the British average, according to a new analysis of postcode districts across Britain.

At £5,920 per month, it costs 279.1% more to rent in Buckinghamshire’s HP9 postcode compared to the wider South East at £1,562 and 358.4% more than the British average – the largest premium and the highest average monthly rent in Britain.

London has the second biggest rental price gap, where it costs 149.9% more to rent in the prime postcode of SW7 at £5,438 per month, compared to Greater London (£2,176) as a whole.

At £2,834, Cornwall’s TR11 postcode is the most expensive in the South West commanding a premium of 124.8% versus the wider regional average.

However, whilst the M14 postcode of Manchester – the most expensive in the North West – may boast a lower average monthly rent at £2,280 per month, it commands a higher premium of 126.6% when compared to the average monthly rent for the wider North West.

At the other end of the table, the Swansea postcode of SA2 is home to the most expensive average rent in the region of £1,510. Whilst this sits considerably higher than the wider average for Wales (£935), it’s the smallest premium of all areas of Britain at 61.5%.

A spokesperson for Cohab, the firm which commissioned the research, says: “While the cost of renting varies across Britain, each region is home to a prime postcode where rents sit significantly higher than that paid by the average tenant.

“In Buckinghamshire for example it costs nearly three times as much to rent than the South East of England, demonstrating how competitive it is for renters. It’s somewhat surprising that even the UK’s prime postcodes in Central London, which are popular with international renters, don’t match up to the area.

“At the other end of the spectrum Wales has the smallest difference between the average rental price and the most expensive postcode, suggesting tenant demand is more equally distributed in the country.

“The research underlines that wherever renters are based there’s likely to be a property available to rent at their price point if they’re willing to travel. If tenants are priced out of one area it’s worth checking a neighbouring region, where there may be a better supply of affordable rental properties to measure up with demand.” 

See the most expensive postcode for renting in your region here.