Cheapest places to rent: The UK cities where rent is rising fastest, and one where it is falling

That’s according to the latest Rental Market Report from Zoopla, which analysed rents charged for new lets during the year ending in April 2025.

It found that average rents across the UK rose on average by 2.8 per cent during that period - down from 6.4 per cent the previous year.

But the picture varies dramatically around the country, with rents rising much faster in certain areas than others, and even falling in some places.

Zoopla said that rents are rising quickest in more affordable areas adjacent to large cities such as Wigan, Carlisle and Chester, but are falling in some areas, including inner London.

The cost of renting has soared by 21 per cent nationally over the last three years, according to Zoopla, during which time house prices have increased by just four per cent.

The average monthly rent across the UK now stands at £1,287, up by £35 over the last year, Zoopla’s figures show.

Below are the UK’s major cities listed in order of the annual percentage change in average rent, from the biggest fall to the largest increase

They range from one city where the average rent fell by 1.5 per cent to another where rents have soared by more than 10 per cent in the last year.