London room rents up 37% in 5 years – what you can expect to pay in each area
Key Points
- The average room rent in inner London reached £979 per month in Q2 2026, up 37% over five years, according to SpareRoom's rental index.
- Outer London rooms average £794 per month.
- SW7 is the most expensive postcode at £1,599, while E12 in Manor Park is the cheapest at £729.
- Crystal Palace and Forest Hill recorded the fastest annual growth at 11.1%, while Muswell Hill saw the biggest fall at -11.4%.
The average cost of renting a room in inner London has climbed 37% over the past five years, with flatsharers now paying £979 per month, new data from flatshare platform SpareRoom shows.
Outer London rents have risen 34% over the same period, reaching £794 per month.
The figures come from SpareRoom’s newly relaunched rental index, which debuts an updated methodology this quarter, with historical data recalculated for consistency. The latest release draws on almost 150,000 London room adverts, with rents quoted inclusive of bills.
Despite the steep five-year climb, annual growth has largely flattened. Inner London rents rose just 0.3% year on year in Q2 2026, while outer London rents fell 0.6%. Across Greater London as a whole, average room rents dipped 0.2% to £915 per month.
The slowdown comes as flatshare supply dropped 5% in inner London during the quarter, coinciding with the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act taking effect. Outer London supply held steady, up 0.9%.
What you’ll pay in each area
East and north London remain the capital’s most affordable broad areas, with average room rents of £933 and £937 per month respectively. Central postcodes are the priciest, with WC averaging £1,313 and EC £1,281.
| London area | Q2 2026 | Q2 2025 | Q2 2021 | Year-on-year | Five-year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | £933 | £940 | £679 | -0.7% | 37.4% |
| EC | £1,281 | £1,213 | £826 | 5.6% | 55.1% |
| N | £937 | £944 | £683 | -0.7% | 37.2% |
| NW | £977 | £980 | £714 | -0.4% | 36.7% |
| SE | £961 | £952 | £692 | 1.0% | 39.0% |
| SW | £1,039 | £1,021 | £753 | 1.7% | 37.8% |
| W | £1,043 | £1,027 | £755 | 1.6% | 38.2% |
| WC | £1,313 | £1,297 | £880 | 1.2% | 49.2% |
| Inner London | £979 | £977 | £712 | 0.3% | 37.4% |
| Outer London | £794 | £799 | £591 | -0.6% | 34.4% |
| Greater London | £915 | £917 | £685 | -0.2% | 33.6% |
The EC postcode area has seen the sharpest long-term growth, with rents up 55.1% in five years, followed by WC at 49.2%.
The most and least expensive postcodes
SW7, covering South Kensington and Knightsbridge, tops the list at £1,599 per month. At the other end, E12 in Manor Park is the capital’s cheapest inner London postcode at £729.
| Most expensive | Rent | Least expensive | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| SW7 (South Ken, Knightsbridge) | £1,599 | E12 (Manor Park) | £729 |
| W1 (West End) | £1,471 | E6 (East Ham) | £734 |
| W8 (Holland Park) | £1,449 | E7 (Forest Gate) | £778 |
| SW3 (Chelsea) | £1,360 | N18 (Upper Edmonton) | £789 |
| SW1 (Westminster, Victoria) | £1,284 | N9 (Lower Edmonton) | £789 |
| SW10 (West Brompton, Chelsea) | £1,282 | E4 (Chingford) | £792 |
| WC1 (Bloomsbury, High Holborn) | £1,274 | SE20 (Penge) | £796 |
| SW5 (Earl’s Court, West Brompton) | £1,273 | N21 (Winchmore Hill) | £797 |
| EC1 (Aldersgate, Finsbury, Holborn) | £1,267 | E13 (Plaistow) | £800 |
| NW1 (Regent’s Park, St Pancras) | £1,217 | SE25 (Norwood) | £804 |
Eight inner London postcodes still offer average room rents under £800 per month.
Where rents are rising fastest
South-east London dominates the list of biggest rent risers, taking eight of the top ten spots. Crystal Palace (SE19) and Forest Hill (SE23) both recorded year-on-year increases of 11.1%, pushing average rents in both postcodes above £900 per month.
West Norwood rose 8.6% and Herne Hill 7.5%, while Plumstead, Thamesmead, Dulwich and Walworth all posted rises above 6%.
Matt Hutchinson, director at SpareRoom, said Crystal Palace and Forest Hill were once viewed as good value alternatives to areas like Clapham and East Dulwich, but have become highly desirable in their own right thanks to green space, character and rail connections including the Windrush line, all while offering rents below the inner London average.
He said flatsharers facing years of sharing due to high housing costs are increasingly weighing quality of life alongside affordability, and are moving to areas offering both, pushing up rents in the process.
Muswell Hill (N10) saw the capital’s biggest drop, with rents down 11.4% to £884 per month. Norwood (SE25) fell 7.2% to £804, while Manor Park and Kentish Town both dropped 6.7%.
North London postcodes account for six of the ten biggest fallers, including Palmers Green, Upper Holloway, Highbury, Whetstone and Upper Edmonton.
