Most Affordable City Centre Pads

Header showing a graphic of buildings

At the height of the pandemic, many tenants headed out of cities to be closer to family and friends, resulting in demand for urban tenancies and rents dropping considerably.

However, as the country adjusts, offices reopen and society begins to return to normality, tenants are beginning to flock back to city life resulting in double-digit growth in rents in some areas, and competition heating up for flats across the UK’s city and town centres. 

With this in mind, we’ve researched where the most affordable places are to rent for tenants looking to move into the thick of town or city life. Take a look at the graphics below to see the most affordable locations.

Map showing the UK's Most affordable city centre pads
Table illustrating the UK's most affordable city centre pads

Aberdeen has been revealed as the most affordable location, with the average price for a one bedroom flat coming in at £506 per calendar month. Aberdeen is Scotland’s third biggest city, with a population of over 400,000 it’s well known for offering the best of both worlds for people looking for energetic city life and those who prefer a quieter life, with its mountains and coast nearby. 

Luton has been revealed as the second most affordable location, with the average rent price for a one bedroom property coming in at £623 per calendar month. Sitting 34 miles outside of London, it has easy access routes into the city, with trains running into the capital in 26 minutes. The town is also in close proximity to the likes of London Luton airport and a variety of parks and green spaces.

If you’re a landlord, who has seen an increase in activity to any of the above locations, or indeed anywhere in the UK, be sure to check out our guide on rent guarantee insurance which protects landlords against the loss of rental income should a tenant fail to pay their rent for up to a period of 24 months whilst still living in the property.

Methodology:

To calculate which cities had the most affordable centre apartments, we gathered the average rent for one bed flats for each city centre of the 30 largest UK cities. We then gathered the average salary after tax for the postcodes for the centre of these locations and deducted the average amount recommended for food for a month, the average cost of utilities, the average cost of internet and the average monthly rent. The areas with the most income left over were ranked the most affordable. All data is correct as of February 16th. Data and sources available on request.