The North of England (North East, North West, Yorkshire and The Humber) covers some of the cheapest cities in the UK alongside two of its biggest. Former industrial and coastal towns like Hartlepool, Burnley, and Hull sit at the very cheap end. Manchester and Leeds, by contrast, have seen rents climb sharply over the past decade and now sit in the upper-middle of UK costs. The range across the region is wider than in Wales or Scotland.
We've ranked 62 northern English local authorities by what it costs a single person to live there each month. Every figure traces back to official data: ONS for rent, MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government for council tax, Ofgem for energy, Water UK for water. The cheapest area is Hartlepool at around £1,056/month, against a UK average of £1,461/month.
The ranking: 62 northern English areas by monthly cost
Sorted cheapest first. The "saving vs UK average" column compares each area's cost to the UK-wide single-person average (£1,461/month).
| # | Area | Monthly cost | Avg rent | Avg salary | vs UK avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartlepool | £1,056/mo | £570 | £28,830 | +£405/mo |
| 2 | North East Lincolnshire | £1,078/mo | £614 | £28,898 | +£383/mo |
| 3 | North Lincolnshire | £1,092/mo | £631 | £30,012 | +£369/mo |
| 4 | County Durham | £1,095/mo | £632 | £29,718 | +£366/mo |
| 5 | Redcar and Cleveland | £1,100/mo | £640 | £28,630 | +£361/mo |
| 6 | Burnley | £1,108/mo | £624 | £29,680 | +£353/mo |
| 7 | Doncaster | £1,112/mo | £684 | £31,119 | +£349/mo |
| 8 | Hyndburn | £1,121/mo | £638 | £29,647 | +£340/mo |
| 9 | Northumberland | £1,121/mo | £664 | £30,456 | +£340/mo |
| 10 | Rotherham | £1,121/mo | £678 | £29,664 | +£340/mo |
| 11 | Barnsley | £1,123/mo | £670 | £31,359 | +£338/mo |
| 12 | Darlington | £1,123/mo | £666 | £30,100 | +£338/mo |
| 13 | Hull | £1,126/mo | £684 | £27,309 | +£335/mo |
| 14 | Blackpool | £1,131/mo | £696 | £27,979 | +£330/mo |
| 15 | Pendle | £1,132/mo | £645 | £26,742 | +£329/mo |
| 16 | East Riding of Yorkshire | £1,136/mo | £709 | £31,881 | +£325/mo |
| 17 | Cumberland | £1,137/mo | £659 | £33,840 | +£324/mo |
| 18 | Sunderland | £1,139/mo | £695 | £27,989 | +£322/mo |
| 19 | South Tyneside | £1,144/mo | £720 | £28,784 | +£317/mo |
| 20 | Wyre | £1,152/mo | £717 | £29,814 | +£309/mo |
| 21 | Middlesbrough | £1,153/mo | £709 | £30,253 | +£308/mo |
| 22 | Wigan | £1,155/mo | £732 | £31,615 | +£306/mo |
| 23 | Blackburn with Darwen | £1,171/mo | £707 | £27,502 | +£290/mo |
| 24 | Halton | £1,171/mo | £732 | £29,819 | +£290/mo |
| 25 | Calderdale | £1,178/mo | £741 | £31,708 | +£283/mo |
| 26 | Bradford | £1,182/mo | £737 | £28,424 | +£279/mo |
| 27 | Stockton-on-Tees | £1,183/mo | £732 | £29,877 | +£278/mo |
| 28 | South Ribble | £1,191/mo | £787 | £32,740 | +£270/mo |
| 29 | Wakefield | £1,197/mo | £787 | £29,954 | +£264/mo |
| 30 | Wirral | £1,198/mo | £830 | £32,959 | +£263/mo |
| 31 | St. Helens | £1,208/mo | £774 | £31,443 | +£253/mo |
| 32 | Kirklees | £1,209/mo | £759 | £30,238 | +£252/mo |
| 33 | Knowsley | £1,210/mo | £805 | £32,542 | +£251/mo |
| 34 | North Tyneside | £1,212/mo | £830 | £31,106 | +£249/mo |
| 35 | Chorley | £1,220/mo | £773 | £33,337 | +£241/mo |
| 36 | Preston | £1,220/mo | £778 | £30,038 | +£241/mo |
| 37 | West Lancashire | £1,224/mo | £794 | £31,884 | +£237/mo |
| 38 | North Yorkshire | £1,229/mo | £831 | £30,683 | +£232/mo |
| 39 | Lancaster | £1,231/mo | £802 | £29,651 | +£230/mo |
| 40 | Ribble Valley | £1,234/mo | £803 | £34,077 | +£227/mo |
| 41 | Gateshead | £1,235/mo | £785 | £29,494 | +£226/mo |
| 42 | Rossendale | £1,236/mo | £810 | £30,487 | +£225/mo |
| 43 | Westmorland and Furness | £1,236/mo | £797 | £33,988 | +£225/mo |
| 44 | Fylde | £1,239/mo | £848 | £36,020 | +£222/mo |
| 45 | Rochdale | £1,251/mo | £824 | £29,535 | +£210/mo |
| 46 | Sefton | £1,260/mo | £919 | £29,335 | +£201/mo |
| 47 | Bolton | £1,281/mo | £878 | £29,409 | +£180/mo |
| 48 | Warrington | £1,301/mo | £880 | £34,144 | +£160/mo |
| 49 | Tameside | £1,316/mo | £917 | £29,877 | +£145/mo |
| 50 | Liverpool | £1,328/mo | £893 | £30,947 | +£133/mo |
| 51 | Cheshire East | £1,329/mo | £972 | £33,221 | +£132/mo |
| 52 | Sheffield | £1,329/mo | £920 | £31,816 | +£132/mo |
| 53 | Oldham | £1,331/mo | £910 | £29,124 | +£130/mo |
| 54 | Bury | £1,332/mo | £965 | £31,687 | +£129/mo |
| 55 | Cheshire West and Chester | £1,347/mo | £959 | £32,391 | +£114/mo |
| 56 | Leeds | £1,404/mo | £1,130 | £31,679 | +£57/mo |
| 57 | Stockport | £1,445/mo | £1,091 | £33,565 | +£16/mo |
| 58 | Newcastle upon Tyne | £1,454/mo | £1,206 | £30,144 | +£7/mo |
| 59 | York | £1,490/mo | £1,173 | £32,961 | -£29/mo |
| 60 | Salford | £1,534/mo | £1,161 | £30,495 | -£73/mo |
| 61 | Trafford | £1,568/mo | £1,358 | £35,593 | -£107/mo |
| 62 | Manchester | £1,620/mo | £1,347 | £30,067 | -£159/mo |
Top 10 cheapest northern English areas, in detail
Former industrial port on the North-East coast. The lowest 1-bed rent in the UK.
See the full breakdown on the Hartlepool area profile.
Grimsby and Cleethorpes; rent is among the cheapest in the country.
See the full breakdown on the North East Lincolnshire area profile.
Scunthorpe and surrounding rural; another low-cost northern English authority.
See the full breakdown on the North Lincolnshire area profile.
Large unitary covering the historic county outside the cities. Rural and small-town mix.
See the full breakdown on the County Durham area profile.
Coastal North-East unitary, former steel town territory.
See the full breakdown on the Redcar and Cleveland area profile.
Lancashire former mill town with some of the cheapest rents in the country.
See the full breakdown on the Burnley area profile.
A northern English authority with rent and council tax that combine to put it in the cheaper half of the region.
See the full breakdown on the Doncaster area profile.
A northern English authority with rent and council tax that combine to put it in the cheaper half of the region.
See the full breakdown on the Hyndburn area profile.
A northern English authority with rent and council tax that combine to put it in the cheaper half of the region.
See the full breakdown on the Northumberland area profile.
A northern English authority with rent and council tax that combine to put it in the cheaper half of the region.
See the full breakdown on the Rotherham area profile.
Regional context
The North of England has the widest cost range of any UK region. Smaller post-industrial and coastal towns sit at the affordable end; Manchester and Leeds have moved sharply higher over the past decade as their economies have grown. Average earnings have risen too, but not enough to keep pace with rent growth in the biggest cities.
How we calculated this
Each area's monthly cost is the sum of: median 1-bed rent (ONS Price Index of Private Rents), council tax at Band D with the 25% single occupier discount applied, the Ofgem monthly energy estimate, the average monthly water bill for the area, £220 groceries, and £80 transport. Full methodology on the about page. Use the cost of living calculator for a personalised estimate, or the UK affordability map for a visual view across all UK areas.