Finding a room to rent in London is no easy feat. The murky waters of the capital’s rental market are not for the weak of heart and they’re certainly not for the weak of finances. With the average price of a room in London coming in at a rather eye-watering £993 (and – sorry to disappoint – that’s not including bills), I am perhaps beginning to regret spending quite so much money on flights and overpriced flat whites, when I could have been – oh, you know – actually saving for the future. But I do come bearing some slightly more positive news. Yes, renting a room in London is outrageously expensive – but it turns out that there are, in fact, some areas in the city that (compared to that gasp-inducing monthly average) could actually be considered as ‘cheap’.
Now, fear not, dear house-hunting Londoners. Uncovering these slightly more affordable gems won’t require you to trawl through the depths of the internet, because the flat-share aficionados over at Spare room have done that job for us. They’ve ranked each and every postcode across the capital, based on the average monthly room-rental cost – and compiled their findings into a handy list. Aren’t they generous?
According to SpareRoom’s data (which is updated every quarter), the most cheap and cheerful spot to currently rent a room in London is Abbey Wood. Over in SE2, the average monthly cost for a room is just £760. Manor Park is the second most budget-friendly area, with an average price of £770. And following in third position is Lower Edmontonwith a monthly average of £780. What a bargain, hey?
The cheapest places to rent a room in London (as of January 2025):
- Abbey Wood – £760
- Manor Park – £770
- Lower Edmonton – £780
- East Ham – £782
- South Woodford – £786
- Chingford – £806
- Barnes – £808
- Forest Gate – £813
- Thamesmead – £816
- Plaistow – £ 820
And if you’re in the mood for a bit of self-torture, you can have a browse through the average room rental price of every other area of London here. The findings are pretty bleak, though. Don’t say we didn’t warn you…
