Renters priced out of major UK cities are being pointed toward commuter towns where rents have not increased over the past year, according to data from SpareRoom shared exclusively with Metro.
The analysis looked at towns within a 60-minute commute of their nearest major city and selected those with no year-on-year rise in rent. It found options near London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool, though commuting costs still need to be factored in.
London alternatives
In London, the average rent for a room is £979, but SpareRoom lists Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire at £740, Harlow in Essex at £706 and Biggleswade in Bedfordshire at £690. The figures only considered Inner London and did not include suburbs like Croydon or Twickenham, so some areas with London postcodes appear on the list.
Other listed locations include Feltham (£756), Pinner (£805), Reading (£711), Egham (£767), Uxbridge (£786), Beckenham (£847), Croydon (£816), Grays (£722), Sunbury-on-Thames (£749), Hampton (£861), Enfield (£809), Romford (£760), Dagenham (£721), Twickenham (£920), Coulsdon (£764), Kings Langley (£763), Surbiton (£832), Horley (£724), New Malden (£806), Sidcup (£745), Keston (£806), Bromley (£801), Waltham Cross (£747), Purley (£807), Harrow (£815), Welling (£750), Isleworth (£817), Mitcham (£807), Greenford (£795), Sevenoaks (£721), Amersham (£798), Newmarket (£627), Sutton (£807), Letchworth Garden City (£669), Bexleyheath (£765), Ascot (£860), Biggleswade (£690), Orpington (£782), Wembley (£892), Barnet (£843), Chigwell (£742), Ware (£691), Chertsey (£782), Swanley (£730) and West Molesey (£715).
Manchester and other cities
Manchester's average rent now stands at £680, and SpareRoom suggests Wigan at £563 and Huddersfield at £484, with Cheadle (£673), St Helens (£551) and Oldham (£563) also listed.
For Leeds, where the average is £572, the alternatives include Wakefield (£528), Huddersfield (£484), Castleford (£521), Pudsey (£550) and Normanton (£469). Liverpool's average is £556, with Runcorn (£545), Ormskirk (£548), St Helens (£551) and Wallasey (£545) as cheaper options.
Birmingham
Birmingham's average rental payment is £612. Tamworth, about 13 minutes away by train, costs around £586. Other options include Wednesbury (£530), Willenhall (£497), Dudley (£538), Wolverhampton (£521) and Cannock (£589).
