St. Albans ranked as most expensive city to rent outside London
A study by Rightmove found it costs 71% more than the national average
Last updated 21st Sep 2024
According to a study by Rightmove- the UK's largest online real estate property portal- St. Albans is the most expensive city to rent outside of London.
Tenants are paying an average of ÂŁ2,300 per month, that's 71% more than the national average.
Properties in the Hertfordshire city cost 17 times more than the average annual salary of those living there.
It marks a 33% increase from five years ago.
Rightmove analysed average rents in more than 50 cities across Britain and found the most affordable cities were in the north of England, with Carlisle ranked as the best value at ÂŁ791 per month.
The highest rents were mostly concentrated in the East and South East of England, with Oxford and Cambridge in second and third place.
In Oxford, tenants pay an average of ÂŁ2,237, while in Cambridge, it's ÂŁ2,072- both a 40% increase from the same study five years ago.
That's 66 and 54% more expensive than the national average, respectively.
The exceptions were Bristol and Edinburgh, where it costs on average ÂŁ1,700 per month.
St. Albans has a rich history- it sits on the site of Verulamium; a major pre-Roman and Romano-British town in the territory of the Catuvellauni, across the River Ver.
Verlamion was the former capital of for Tasciovanus- the King of the Catuvellauni tribe before the Roman conquest of Britain.