London Underground Rent Map

Why don’t Londoners play hide and seek? Because good luck hiding when you’re paying £1500 a month for a cupboard under the stairs.

London rental prices are no joke. According to the ONS, rent inflation was the highest in the capital (11.5%) in the 12 months to December 2024, upholding the title of the most expensive place to live in the UK.

High inflation, rising energy and mortgage costs, and a short supply of properties are just a few factors that have contributed to this sharp rise (explained here), leaving many to doubt if living in London is even worth it.

A study commissioned by Reebok and MTV found that amongst those aged 18-30, London still tops the list of the most exciting places to live in England.

However, for young professionals and students, who have long seen London as the land of opportunity, culture and fun, the impact of rentflation is being felt the most.

The thought of moving to the city in search for a better quality of life is now corrupted with the reality of living in a sub-standard room that is likely going to leave them short changed at the end of the month.

To enjoy the benefits of London at an affordable cost, renters have increasingly been looking for accommodation in the outer areas and boroughs of London. In turn this is causing the eye-watering prices of Central London to spread further and further, into areas that some may class as 'not really London'.

To quantify the true extent to which rents have soared across the various areas of London, DOSE has produced the London Underground Rent Map. The map displays average monthly rental prices for a room in and around each London Underground Station - Data retrieved from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

London Rental Tube Map

When planning a move to London, particularly for young people, a thought that is often had is ‘How central can I possibly get? Zone 1? Zone 2? I want the proper London experience!’

According to The Trust for London, those aged 20-29 make up around one in five people living in Inner London. In fact, every inner London borough has a higher population of young adults than every outer London borough.

Our analysis shows that unsurprisingly, inner London areas such as Hyde Park Corner, Green Park and Piccadilly Circus are the most expensive to rent a room in London. Though of course who in their right mind would want to live in Mayfair? Probably a lot of people actually...

Areas south of the river, and those in outer London, are now becoming the popular areas for new movers, given the hefty price tags of those in inner and north London.

The Main hotspots

Clapham

An area that is synonymous for its graduates, Australians and a dodgy nightclub, is Clapham. Clapham Common, priced at an average of £812 per month, located in south-west London hosts a range of social activities, parks and cafes, and is well connected to central London through the Northern Line.

Brixton

Similarly there is Brixton. Priced at £792 per month, located at the end of the Victoria line and was once described as the ‘frontline of gentrification’, is still reasonably priced compared to its Zone 2 counterparts in the North.

Heightened demand due to the ‘superiority’ of being North of the river means rent in almost all inner North London areas are priced at a premium.

Camden

For example, the haven of counter culture, punks and a thriving nightlife, or as others like to call it Camden, is priced at an average of £1122 per month. Given its prominence among tourists and celebrities alike, Camden has become a household name, whilst also becoming an expensive place to find a household.

Old Street

Heading slightly east from Camden we reach Old Street. Priced at £1341 per month, the trendy, hipster filled, graffiti painted area is home to the hen do capital of the UK, Shoreditch. Whilst it hangs a heavy price tag, £10 disposable vapes, 2 for 1 cocktails and entrepreneurial balloons dealers are just a few things this social paradise has to offer.

So how have we ended up here?

Supply and Demand

The fundamental law of economics, supply and demand, plays a pivotal role in London's rental market. Demand for accommodation remains consistently high due to London’s status as a hub for education, employment, and culture. Meanwhile, the supply of affordable housing, especially single rooms, struggles to keep pace.

London’s chronic housing shortage exacerbated by factors such as population growth, limited land availability and complex planning regulations adds fuel to the fire, creating competition among renters but also encouraging landlords to inflate prices. In such a climate, securing a reasonably priced room is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Economic Pressures

The cost of living in London is notoriously high, and rental prices reflect this reality. With stagnating wages and rising living expenses, many individuals are compelled to allocate a significant portion of their income towards accommodation. As a consequence, the affordability crisis deepens, particularly for low to middle-income earners who find themselves disproportionately affected by escalating rental costs.

The Impact

While rental prices surge across London, certain boroughs witness more pronounced spikes than others. Areas in close proximity to Zone 1, tube stations, and amenities tend to command premium rents, further worsening inequalities in access to affordable accommodation. Therefore those on tighter budgets, particularly young people, face heightened barriers in securing stable accommodation within the city.

The result of soaring rental prices extend beyond financial strain. For many residents, the quest for affordable housing entails compromising on crucial aspects of their quality of life. From residing in overcrowded, substandard accommodations to enduring long commutes due to unaffordable rents closer to central London, people are forced to navigate a landscape where housing insecurity looms large.

Addressing London's housing affordability crisis requires a multifaceted approach that combines policy interventions, investment in social housing, and collaboration between the public and private sectors. Initiatives aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing, implementing rent controls, and protecting tenants' rights can help mitigate the adverse effects of escalating rental prices.

The surge in rental prices for a room in London reflects broader socio-economic challenges facing the city. As stakeholders grapple with finding solutions to improve housing affordability, it's important to recognise the human dimension of this issue. Only through concerted efforts can London strive towards a future where all its residents can afford to call it home, without the burden of unsustainable rental costs.

DOSE

Our analysis:

Data source: Office for National Statistics (ONS) - Private rental market in London: January 2023 to December 2023

These statistics use the Valuation Office Agency's data collected by Rent Officers from landlords and letting agents.

The ‘London Underground Rent Map’ displays the average (mean) rent price for a ‘Room’* per month, for each London Underground Station area**.

*A ‘Room’ is defined as ‘a non self-contained single room with shared facilities. Includes bedsits, single rooms in a house or flat shared with other tenants, and single rooms rented from a resident landlord.’

**The ONS data provides the average monthly rental price for a room, broken down by its specific postcode district. In calculating the figures, we matched the postcode district of the average rental price with the postcode district of the relevant London Underground Station e.g. Camden Road = NW1. In very few cases the ONS data did not have a sufficient number of rental prices for a “Room’ on record for the relevant postcode district of the London Underground Station area. In these cases we used a scale factor of other housing types on record for that specific area to calculate a rental price for a ‘Room’. These rental prices were then cross-checked with live and historic rental prices in the relevant postcode district on property websites such as Zoopla, Rightmove and Spareroom.

For more info on our analysis please contact: press @dosenews.co.uk