Estimated money left each month£1,700£700 above your minimum
Your monthly take-home
£4,200- Rent
- −£1,400
- Bills + commute
- −£1,100
- Money left
- £1,700
After rent, bills and commuting · before savings
Whole household · before savings
UK RENT AFFORDABILITY CALCULATOR
Where can you
afford to rent?
Compare London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds with one budget using our interactive rent affordability map. Built for renters choosing an area or planning a move, it shows what your income could leave each month after rent, bills and commuting.
Enter your salary or monthly take-home pay, choose a home size and set your costs. Switch city maps and select a council area to see its average rent and your budget breakdown, then compare up to four areas.
Compare the four city areas ↓ · Rent ranges by home size ↓ · Free to use, no sign-up
ONS council-area rent averages · August 2026
TRY A SALARYUse my own numbersMy budget
Annual PAYE examples · one earner · no pension or student loan
Your income.
Your city.
Your possibilities.
Find an area within your budgetChoose a city area
Keep your budget as you switch maps. London is shown first; choose another city area to explore its councils.
Greater London · 32 boroughs + City of London · 32 with rent data. Select a place for its own breakdown.
Monthly take-homeTake-home / mo£4,200Whole household
Rent budget to keep your minimumRent budget / mo£2,100After £1,100 bills + general commute
Areas meeting your minimumMeet minimum29 / 32Keeping at least £1,000 / month
Budget£4,200 take-home / monthEdit
Money left each month
Take-home minus rent, bills and commuting. Every map figure shows what’s left.Every figure shows what’s left after rent, bills and commuting.
29 of 32 areas with rental evidenceLondon boroughs · 1 bedroom
Select an area to see your breakdown
Money left each month · after costsBelow £0£0–499£500–999£1,000–1,499£1,500+No data
ONS averages, not live listings.
About the data
Council-area averages for new and existing tenancies, not live listings. Colour shows money left, not quality of life. Full methodology ↗
Money left = take-home − rent − entered bills − commuting. Moving costs, deposits and any unentered spending are excluded.
THE SAME BUDGET. A BIGGER PICTURE.
Compare what the same budget leaves in four cities
Start with one selected council area in each city region. Keep income, bedroom size and bills consistent, then adjust the rent and travel costs for the places you are considering. These are named areas, not averages for an entire city region.
01 / LONDON32 borough rents
London
The capital
YOUR AREA TO COMPAREWaltham Forestborough average · ONS August 2026
£1,700left / month
£1,400rent / month
02 / MANCHESTER10 council areas
Manchester
Explore Greater Manchester
YOUR AREA TO COMPAREManchestercouncil area average · ONS August 2026
£2,097left / month
£1,003rent / month
03 / BIRMINGHAM7 council areas
Birmingham
Explore the West Midlands
YOUR AREA TO COMPAREBirminghamcouncil area average · ONS August 2026
£2,270left / month
£830rent / month
04 / LEEDS5 council areas
Leeds
Explore West Yorkshire
YOUR AREA TO COMPARELeedscouncil area average · ONS August 2026
£2,318left / month
£782rent / month
These are named council-area comparisons, not whole-city averages. Rent is the ONS benchmark unless you enter your own. Bills and general commuting stay the same as a starting point; use the comparison to adjust actual travel costs.
FIXED MOVING EXAMPLE
How much of a rent saving would you keep?
This fixed example compares Waltham Forest with Manchester using August 2026 rents for whole one-bedroom homes, £4,200 monthly take-home, £900 bills and living costs and £200 commuting. The cards above follow your inputs; this analysis keeps those example assumptions fixed.
The one-bedroom benchmark is £1,400 in Waltham Forest and £1,003 in Manchester council. These named council areas do not represent their entire city regions.
With these assumptions, Manchester leaves £397 more each month than Waltham Forest: £4,764 over a year if the difference stays the same.
If the Manchester option meant £200 less take-home and £100 more commuting each month, it would leave £97 more than the Waltham Forest option. These are example changes, not estimates of local salaries or fares. Adjust both sides before treating a lower rent as money you will save.
Source: PayPrecise calculations using ONS average monthly rents, August 2026, released 16 September 2026. Income and costs are illustrative.
THE RENT PICTURE ACROSS FOUR REGIONS
Average rent ranges across the four city regions
Compare the lowest and highest council-area averages for the same size of home, alongside each named city council’s benchmark. London uses a median of borough averages. These are whole-home monthly rents, not individual listings or room rents. The all-sizes figure reflects each area’s mix of homes; it is not the average of the bedroom columns.
ONS August 2026 observations · released 16 September 2026. View the monthly rent dataset ↗. Includes new and existing tenancies.
Greater London
London
Swipe across for all columns →
| Home size | Lowest average | Highest average | Median borough average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £1,217Havering | £2,640Kensington and Chelsea | £1,580 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,526Bexley | £3,428Kensington and Chelsea | £1,941 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,847Havering | £4,074Kensington and Chelsea | £2,249 |
| 4+ bedrooms | £2,424Bexley | £5,650Kensington and Chelsea | £3,064 |
| All sizes | £1,537Bexley | £3,690Kensington and Chelsea | £1,974 |
The median uses available averages from the 32 boroughs, weighting each equally and excluding City of London. It is not the ONS London-wide average.
Greater Manchester
Manchester
Swipe across for all columns →
| Home size | Lowest average | Highest average | Manchester council |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £542Wigan | £1,003Manchester | £1,003 |
| 2 bedrooms | £700Wigan | £1,233Manchester | £1,233 |
| 3 bedrooms | £838Wigan | £1,483Trafford | £1,433 |
| 4+ bedrooms | £1,143Wigan | £2,106Trafford | £2,014 |
| All sizes | £746Wigan | £1,373Manchester | £1,373 |
West Midlands metropolitan county
Birmingham
Swipe across for all columns →
| Home size | Lowest average | Highest average | Birmingham council |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £611Dudley | £858Solihull | £830 |
| 2 bedrooms | £782Dudley | £1,065Solihull | £1,003 |
| 3 bedrooms | £942Dudley | £1,262Solihull | £1,134 |
| 4+ bedrooms | £1,249Dudley | £1,877Solihull | £1,578 |
| All sizes | £858Dudley | £1,279Solihull | £1,099 |
West Yorkshire
Leeds
Swipe across for all columns →
| Home size | Lowest average | Highest average | Leeds council |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £548Calderdale | £782Leeds | £782 |
| 2 bedrooms | £675Bradford | £975Leeds | £975 |
| 3 bedrooms | £808Bradford | £1,138Leeds | £1,138 |
| 4+ bedrooms | £1,108Bradford | £1,690Leeds | £1,690 |
| All sizes | £745Bradford | £1,145Leeds | £1,145 |
Coverage in each caption counts areas with a published figure for each home size. City of London: unavailable categories are excluded from the ranges, not treated as £0. Tied areas are listed together. Birmingham covers the West Midlands metropolitan county, not the entire West Midlands region. Lower rent alone does not establish which area suits your budget or journey.
THE RENT TRADE-OFF
Big questions. Your actual numbers.
What does another
£10k really change?
£50k salary
£60k salary
+£486/ monthSee the extra take-home, then test it against the rent. £50k → £60k; 2026/27, no pension or student loan.
The price of
a place of your own.
Compare a one-bedroom home with an agreed half share of a two-bedroom home in your selected area.
When your rent
gets a pay rise.
IF YOUR RENT WENT UP 10%−£140/ month
A what-if for your selected area. A 10% rise is an illustration, not a forecast.
FIND YOUR STARTING POINT
Chosen a city? Get to know its rents.
Use this hub to compare places across the four city regions. Open a city guide for local rent tables, borough comparisons and the boundaries behind each figure, then return here to compare your shortlist on one budget.
LondonAverage rents across London boroughsView London rent guide ↗ManchesterRents across Greater ManchesterView Manchester rent guide ↗BirminghamBirmingham and West Midlands rentsView Birmingham rent guide ↗LeedsLeeds and West Yorkshire rentsView Leeds rent guide ↗
How much rent can I afford?
Start with the money you take home each month. Subtract bills, commuting and the amount you want to keep. Compare the rent budget that remains with the same size of home in each area.
Rent budget = take-home − bills − commute − your minimum
A rent calculator built around your budget.
For example, £4,200 take-home minus £900 bills, £200 commuting and a £1,000 minimum leaves £2,100 for rent. The map then shows money left after each area’s rent benchmark. Your minimum is a target, not a second deduction.
Use an actual listing price when you have one. This is a personal budget estimate, not a landlord’s referencing decision. For an entered-rent calculation, try salary after rent.
MAKE SENSE OF YOUR NEXT MOVE
How to compare rent affordability between cities
A salary tells you what a job pays. Your monthly budget tells you what that pay could make possible. Before choosing a place to rent, compare the money you would have left for everyday life, saving and the things you enjoy.
Start with the pay that reaches your account
Use your usual monthly take-home pay as the starting point. If you are weighing up a job offer, the PayPrecise salary calculator can estimate it from your annual salary. Income Tax depends on your earnings and allowances, so an extra pound of salary does not always mean an extra pound to spend. GOV.UK explains how Income Tax is worked out.
Build the rent budget around your own household. Include council tax, energy, food, travel and any childcare or debt payments, then decide how much you want to keep. MoneyHelper also recommends allowing for everyday bills and unexpected spending when deciding what rent you can afford. Read MoneyHelper’s rental budgeting guide.
See the four-region rent ranges and fixed moving example above to compare the same income across different council areas. To compare income levels, use the household income calculator before everyday bills; the balance left after costs here is a separate budget measure.
Compare homes you would really consider
Keep the bedroom choice the same across places. A one-bedroom flat and a share of a larger home answer different questions. For a house share, enter your agreed rent and your own income and costs. For a move with a partner, work with the household amounts you will actually share.
Choose the area as carefully as the city. The Manchester council figure does not describe all of Greater Manchester, and Waltham Forest does not represent all of London. The London borough rent guide and the Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds rent guides help you look more closely at those local choices.
Use average rents to narrow your search
The ONS figures cover new and existing tenancies. An average therefore will not necessarily match the asking rent of a home advertised today. Once you find a suitable listing, replace the map’s average with its actual rent. The latest figures can also be revised. See the ONS monthly rent dataset.
Leave room for the move itself
Check the cash you need before moving as well as the monthly budget. A deposit, removals and furniture can make a move difficult even when the ongoing rent looks manageable. MoneyHelper includes these upfront costs in its guide to finding a rented home you can afford.
Use the comparison to build a shortlist, then check actual homes and journeys. The amount left is only as complete as the costs you enter. It also needs to cover any savings and spending you have not included.
CLEAR NUMBERS. OPEN SOURCES.
A useful starting point.
With the working shown.
A city is more than a rent bill. Use this map to narrow your search, then check actual homes, travel costs and the things that make somewhere feel like you.
More on salary after rent ↗Is this for renting or buying?
This map is for renting. It estimates the money left after rent, your entered bills and commuting costs. It does not calculate house prices, mortgage payments or the cost of buying a home.
Where do the rent figures come from?
ONS Price Index of Private Rents, August 2026 observations, released 16 September 2026. We use the published local-authority average for your chosen bedroom category. These include achieved rents for new and existing tenancies; they are not today’s asking rents. Recent figures can be revised. View the ONS dataset ↗
How much of the UK is covered?
The hub covers four English city areas: Greater London (32 boroughs with rental evidence, plus the unavailable City of London), Greater Manchester (10 councils) the West Midlands metropolitan county (7 councils, including Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country), and West Yorkshire (5 councils: Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield). The Birmingham map covers this metropolitan county, not the entire West Midlands region. Other UK cities are not included yet. Figures describe each named council area, not its city centre or a street.
Why council areas, rather than postcodes?
The monthly ONS series gives comparable bedroom-category benchmarks at local-authority level. There are 54 areas with rent data here; City of London is unavailable. Neighbourhood searches point to a containing council area, not a neighbourhood estimate. A future licensed asking-rent layer could add local detail. See the ONS methodology.
What is included in “money left”?
Your monthly take-home, minus the rent used, entered bills and commuting. Include council tax, utilities, food, childcare, debt repayments and other spending in your living-cost total. Household size does not automatically estimate costs or benefits. Your desired minimum is a target, not another deduction. Deposits, moving costs and anything you have not entered are excluded. Missing costs stop the calculation; entering zero deliberately excludes that cost.
How is salary converted to take-home?
PayPrecise’s pay engine estimates 2026/27 England Income Tax, employee National Insurance, the selected student loan and any full-salary pension sacrifice. Each earner is calculated separately. These are annualised estimates and may differ from individual payslips. Enter known monthly take-home for other pension arrangements, tax codes, benefits or self-employment. HMRC 2026/27 rates ↗
Can I use an actual listing or my share of the rent?
Yes. Select an area and choose “Use my actual rent or travel cost”. That entered rent replaces the benchmark for this area and housing category. In “Just me, sharing a home”, enter your income, your costs and your agreed percentage of the whole-home rent. Entered rent is already your cost and is not split again. This does not assess landlord or lender eligibility.
What gets shared or saved?
City switching keeps your current inputs. Your budget is calculated in this browser and is not saved after a reload. Shared links use a public £4,200 take-home example by default. You can explicitly include your financial inputs after reviewing the share preview. Those links put the inputs in the link fragment, which recipients can read; anyone with the link can open them. The page does not send your income or spending to analytics.
Map: GLA borough boundaries, 2011, simplified for display. Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2015. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2015. ONS data: Open Government Licence v3.0; geometry: Open Government Licence v2. Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds maps: ONS May 2024 local-authority boundaries, simplified for display, OGL v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2024. Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2024. Page reviewed 27 September 2026.