The average tenant now spends over 41% of their take-home salary on rent.
This is a slight increase from Q1 2025 (40%) and a 5% year-on-year increase as affordable renting continues to get more difficult, claims lettings industry provider Canopy.
Typically, spending 40% of take-home salary is considered the outer limit of affordability, meaning the majority of tenants are currently at the edge of what is considered financially feasible or ‘comfortable’.
The Canopy Rental Affordability Index measures the average take-home salary of employed tenants against their share of rental costs, to create a rent-to-income ratio – put simply, what percentage of their salary is spent on rent.
On average, tenants now spend £854 per month on rent – an increase of £35 per month in the last year.
London remains the most unaffordable city, with the typical tenant in the capital spending nearly half (47.7%) of their wage on rent.
Most unaffordable cities – top ten
| City | Avg Income (£) | Avg Rent (£) | Rent To Income % | |
| 1 | London | 36,513.93 | 1,260.19 | 47.7% |
| 2 | Brighton | 26,913.14 | 899.72 | 45.9% |
| 3 | Oxford | 28,720.38 | 917.71 | 45.4% |
| 4 | Bournemouth | 24,585.75 | 814.68 | 45% |
| 5 | Canterbury | 23,144.16 | 772.11 | 44.5% |
| 6 | Portsmouth | 23,841.45 | 766.19 | 43.9% |
| 7 | St Albans | 35,720.14 | 1,112.91 | 43.6% |
| 8 | Chelmsford | 29,936.17 | 967.55 | 43.4% |
| 9 | Bath | 26,597.50 | 854.06 | 43% |
| 10 | Colchester | 27,111.15 | 851.65 | 42.4% |
Hull is the city with the best rental affordability, overtaking Doncaster from the first quarter of the year – tenants spend less than a third of their salary (31.9%) on rent.
There continues to be a notable variation in terms of affordability, with all ten of the least affordable cities based in southern England, yet none of the ten most affordable are located in the south.
The North East of England remains the most affordable region, with tenants spending on average 34% of their pay cheque on rent, a 14% difference compared to London.
Most affordable cities – top ten
| City | Avg Income (£) | Avg Rent (£) | Rent To Income % | |
| 1 | Hull | 23,205.72 | 553.97 | 31.9% |
| 2 | Doncaster | 23,963.05 | 582.70 | 32% |
| 3 | Durham | 22,774.27 | 568.46 | 32.5% |
| 4 | Carlisle | 24,289.36 | 600.22 | 32.9% |
| 5 | Sunderland | 21,587.83 | 549.14 | 33.2% |
| 6 | Stoke-on-Trent | 24,178.64 | 611.13 | 33.2% |
| 7 | Wakefield | 23,975.10 | 613.66 | 33.9% |
| 8 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 22,836.27 | 589.01 | 34.5% |
| 9 | Belfast | 25,770.78 | 682.60 | 34.5% |
| 10 | Bradford | 22,761.37 | 596.19 | 34.6% |
While Hull is the cheapest city, the most affordable postcode area is Dumfries, with a rent to income ratio of 30.9%.
Outside major cities, Blackburn and Halifax also stand out among the most affordable postcode areas, with tenants spending less than a third of their income on rent. On average, tenants in Blackburn spend 32.1%, while those in Halifax pay slightly more at 32.2%.
At the other end of the scale, the average tenant in London spends nearly half (47.7%) of their salary on rent.
As many as seven London boroughs see the average tenant spending at least 50% of their take-home wage on rental payments. This is an increase from five boroughs last quarter.
Enfield (56%) is the least affordable London borough, with Haringey (53.2%), Brent (52.3%), Barking and Dagenham (51.4%), Redbridge (51.3%), Barnet (50.1%) and Havering (50%) all similarly priced for tenants.
All London boroughs – ranked from least to most affordable
| Borough | Avg Income (£) | Avg Rent (£) | Rent To Income (%) | |
| 1 | Enfield | 27,611.88 | 1,142.78 | 56% |
| 2 | Haringey | 30,960.05 | 1,199.88 | 53.2% |
| 3 | Brent | 30,867.85 | 1,173.88 | 52.3% |
| 4 | Barking and Dagenham | 27,267.93 | 1,037.64 | 51.4% |
| 5 | Redbridge | 29,616.79 | 1,102.64 | 51.3% |
| 6 | Barnet | 34,096.01 | 1,212.39 | 50.1% |
| 7 | Havering | 29,906.22 | 1,118.88 | 50% |
| 8 | Ealing | 32,106.33 | 1,172.03 | 49.8% |
| 9 | Waltham Forest | 28,858.64 | 1,072.89 | 49.2% |
| 10 | Hounslow | 33,243.15 | 1,183.99 | 49.2% |
| 11 | Kingston upon Thames | 30,533.88 | 1,132.08 | 48.9% |
| 12 | Newham | 37,704.15 | 1,320.61 | 48.5% |
| 13 | Harrow | 31,757.86 | 1,138.19 | 48.4% |
| 14 | Kensington and Chelsea | 52,439.41 | 1,836.12 | 48.4% |
| 15 | Sutton | 31,108.37 | 1,088.61 | 48.3% |
| 16 | Croydon | 28,507.32 | 1,037.36 | 47.9% |
| 17 | Camden | 50,794.80 | 1,625.23 | 47.8% |
| 18 | Westminster | 51,869.76 | 1,703.59 | 47.7% |
| 19 | Bromley | 33,549.06 | 1,145.82 | 47.6% |
| 20 | Lewisham | 31,086.55 | 1,096.55 | 47.3% |
| 21 | Richmond upon Thames | 38,910.71 | 1,385.74 | 47% |
| 22 | Hammersmith and Fulham | 39,179.85 | 1,327.92 | 46.6% |
| 23 | Hillingdon | 29,425.37 | 1,014.92 | 46.5% |
| 24 | Tower Hamlets | 39,398.79 | 1,312.66 | 46.1% |
| 25 | Islington | 40,743.17 | 1,351.08 | 45.9% |
| 26 | Greenwich | 33,565.92 | 1,136.24 | 45.7% |
| 27 | Bexley | 28,247.13 | 995.57 | 45.5% |
| 28 | Lambeth | 36,120.04 | 1,218.50 | 44.7% |
| 29 | Hackney | 38,957.60 | 1,259.78 | 44.6% |
| 30 | Merton | 33,987.90 | 1,126.93 | 44.5% |
| 31 | Southwark | 40,294.82 | 1,271.07 | 44.3% |
| 32 | Wandsworth | 38,376.13 | 1,261.56 | 43.9% |
A Canopy spokesperson says: “Our latest figures for April to June 2025 reveal the ongoing rental affordability crisis across the UK. With the average tenant now spending just over 40% of their take-home pay on rent, it’s clear that many are living at the edge of financial comfort.
“London continues to stand out as the least affordable city, with tenants in boroughs like Enfield spending more than half of their income on rent. Meanwhile, more affordable areas such as Hull and Blackburn offer some relief but may face increased demand as rent rises elsewhere.
“Wage growth is still struggling to keep pace with rental inflation, leaving tenants with less disposable income for essential living costs or saving for the future. These regional disparities highlight the need for targeted solutions to support renters and improve affordability nationwide.”
