Cheapest places to live in the UK 2026

Q: What is the cheapest place to live in the UK?

Based on estimated single-person monthly cost of essentials, Dumfries and Galloway is the cheapest place to live in the UK at around £1,011/month. The basket covers rent, council tax, energy, water, groceries and transport. The average across the 348 ranked areas is £1,481/month.

Q: Which region has the cheapest places to live?

Scotland has the most areas in the top 20 cheapest, with 12 entries.

From small towns to major cities, here are the cheapest places to live in the UK, ranked by estimated monthly cost for a single person. The cheapest area is Dumfries and Galloway at around £1,011/month, covering rent, council tax, energy, water, groceries and transport. The average across 348 ranked areas is £1,481/month.

Data last updated: 1 September 2026

Found somewhere you like? See the full picture on any home there.

Prices vary a lot within one area. Enter a postcode to see what a home last sold for and how nearby sales compare.

Every UK local authority ranked by estimated single-person monthly cost, cheapest first. Monthly cost covers rent (1-bed), council tax (Band D with the single occupier discount), energy and water bills, plus standard estimates for groceries and transport. You can search for a specific area, filter by region, or click any column header to re-sort. Click any area name to see its full cost of living profile.

Council tax is shown as a secondary column so you can still see the individual line, but the ranking uses total monthly cost. For a salary-adjusted view of where a local wage stretches furthest, see the best value rankings.

Showing 348 of 348 areas.

UK average £1,481/mo

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1	Dumfries and Galloway Scotland	£1,011/mo	£1,579	£558	£29,649
2	North Ayrshire Scotland	£1,050/mo	£1,686	£643	£34,689
3	South Ayrshire Scotland	£1,051/mo	£1,695	£643	£33,986
4	East Ayrshire Scotland	£1,052/mo	£1,717	£643	£33,117
5	Hartlepool North East	£1,055/mo	£2,560	£558	£28,830
6	Scottish Borders Scotland	£1,060/mo	£1,619	£708	£28,796
7	North Lanarkshire Scotland	£1,086/mo	£1,555	£801	£34,105
8	Inverclyde Scotland	£1,101/mo	£1,674	£800	£29,020
9	Perth and Kinross Scotland	£1,101/mo	£1,674	£739	£31,851
10	Renfrewshire Scotland	£1,102/mo	£1,691	£800	£32,832
11	North East Lincolnshire Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,105/mo	£2,484	£643	£28,898
12	Powys Wales	£1,105/mo	£2,352	£621	£30,275
13	Redcar and Cleveland North East	£1,110/mo	£2,544	£644	£28,630
14	County Durham North East	£1,114/mo	£2,622	£650	£29,718
15	Shetland Islands Scotland	£1,115/mo	£1,488	£739	£35,716
16	Na h-Eileanan Siar Scotland	£1,116/mo	£1,506	£739	£28,746
17	North Lincolnshire Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,116/mo	£2,348	£653	£30,012
18	Burnley North West	£1,120/mo	£2,549	£631	£29,680
19	Highland Scotland	£1,124/mo	£1,634	£739	£31,416
20	Doncaster Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,126/mo	£2,168	£694	£31,119
21	Orkney Islands Scotland	£1,126/mo	£1,669	£739	£31,737
22	Moray Scotland	£1,130/mo	£1,731	£739	£26,943
23	South Lanarkshire Scotland	£1,131/mo	£1,468	£893	£34,293
24	Rotherham Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,134/mo	£2,382	£686	£29,664
25	Hyndburn North West	£1,135/mo	£2,466	£648	£29,647
26	Hull Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,140/mo	£2,295	£694	£27,309
27	Fife Scotland	£1,141/mo	£1,574	£832	£32,445
28	Carmarthenshire Wales	£1,143/mo	£2,351	£687	£30,774
29	Pembrokeshire Wales	£1,145/mo	£2,166	£694	£27,243
30	Darlington North East	£1,146/mo	£2,494	£689	£30,100
31	Stoke-on-Trent West Midlands	£1,148/mo	£2,183	£715	£29,041
32	Barnsley Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,149/mo	£2,326	£696	£31,359
33	Bolsover East Midlands	£1,151/mo	£2,559	£706	£29,674
34	Northumberland North East	£1,151/mo	£2,597	£695	£30,456
35	Middlesbrough North East	£1,152/mo	£2,549	£698	£30,253
36	Blackpool North West	£1,154/mo	£2,513	£719	£27,979
37	East Riding of Yorkshire Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,154/mo	£2,466	£724	£31,881
38	Neath Port Talbot Wales	£1,154/mo	£2,541	£690	£30,709
39	Sunderland North East	£1,154/mo	£2,197	£707	£27,989
40	Angus Scotland	£1,156/mo	£1,599	£825	£30,681
41	Blaenau Gwent Wales	£1,157/mo	£2,531	£681	£30,734
42	Argyll and Bute Scotland	£1,158/mo	£1,783	£822	£30,436
43	East Lindsey East Midlands	£1,158/mo	£2,276	£704	£26,705
44	Pendle North West	£1,158/mo	£2,640	£670	£26,742
45	Cumberland North West	£1,161/mo	£2,511	£681	£33,840
46	West Dunbartonshire Scotland	£1,162/mo	£1,682	£940	£31,962
47	Bassetlaw East Midlands	£1,163/mo	£2,645	£727	£28,314
48	Dundee Scotland	£1,164/mo	£1,730	£825	£30,523
49	Rhondda Cynon Taf Wales	£1,167/mo	£2,289	£754	£29,802
50	South Tyneside North East	£1,167/mo	£2,434	£743	£28,784
51	Staffordshire Moorlands West Midlands	£1,167/mo	£2,338	£728	£31,065
52	Wigan North West	£1,173/mo	£2,153	£746	£31,615
53	Caerphilly Wales	£1,177/mo	£2,083	£747	£30,854
54	Wyre North West	£1,177/mo	£2,461	£743	£29,814
55	Chesterfield East Midlands	£1,181/mo	£2,339	£758	£30,621
56	West Lindsey East Midlands	£1,181/mo	£2,354	£741	£30,741
57	Blackburn with Darwen North West	£1,184/mo	£2,455	£714	£27,502
58	Isle of Anglesey Wales	£1,187/mo	£2,261	£714	£29,944
59	Aberdeenshire Scotland	£1,191/mo	£1,686	£845	£33,799
60	Denbighshire Wales	£1,191/mo	£2,339	£718	£26,812
61	Halton North West	£1,191/mo	£2,367	£749	£29,819
62	Stockton-on-Tees North East	£1,192/mo	£2,590	£735	£29,877
63	Clackmannanshire Scotland	£1,193/mo	£1,684	£892	£31,992
64	Bradford Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,194/mo	£2,361	£745	£28,424
65	Aberdeen Scotland	£1,195/mo	£1,748	£845	£32,399
66	Falkirk Scotland	£1,195/mo	£1,715	£892	£32,330
67	Calderdale Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,196/mo	£2,420	£756	£31,708
68	Stirling Scotland	£1,198/mo	£1,753	£892	£33,832
69	Melton East Midlands	£1,203/mo	£2,430	£806	£26,633
70	West Lothian Scotland	£1,205/mo	£1,628	£911	£33,302
71	Mansfield East Midlands	£1,208/mo	£2,600	£790	£28,170
72	Ceredigion Wales	£1,209/mo	£2,419	£723	£29,326
73	Gwynedd Wales	£1,209/mo	£2,469	£724	£25,179
74	Merthyr Tydfil Wales	£1,210/mo	£2,594	£754	£31,504
75	South Ribble North West	£1,211/mo	£2,443	£805	£32,740
76	Bridgend Wales	£1,213/mo	£2,478	£763	£31,475
77	Ashfield East Midlands	£1,217/mo	£2,609	£795	£27,797
78	North East Derbyshire East Midlands	£1,217/mo	£2,467	£791	£30,931
79	Wakefield Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,217/mo	£2,297	£806	£29,954
80	Newcastle-under-Lyme West Midlands	£1,220/mo	£2,334	£833	£31,205
81	North Kesteven East Midlands	£1,220/mo	£2,338	£824	£30,585
82	South Kesteven East Midlands	£1,220/mo	£2,260	£845	£29,071
83	Newark and Sherwood East Midlands	£1,224/mo	£2,682	£818	£29,806
84	Wirral North West	£1,224/mo	£2,501	£859	£32,959
85	Amber Valley East Midlands	£1,229/mo	£2,408	£799	£30,823
86	South Holland East Midlands	£1,229/mo	£2,278	£775	£30,196
87	Cannock Chase West Midlands	£1,232/mo	£2,376	£867	£30,178
88	Kirklees Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,234/mo	£2,441	£782	£30,238
89	Telford and Wrekin West Midlands	£1,235/mo	£2,256	£861	£31,459
90	Wyre Forest West Midlands	£1,235/mo	£2,512	£825	£29,408
91	Preston North West	£1,236/mo	£2,576	£790	£30,038
92	Wrexham Wales	£1,237/mo	£2,309	£770	£29,752
93	Flintshire Wales	£1,238/mo	£2,376	£811	£32,675
94	North Tyneside North East	£1,238/mo	£2,462	£857	£31,106
95	West Lancashire North West	£1,238/mo	£2,456	£805	£31,884
96	Conwy Wales	£1,239/mo	£2,473	£796	£28,113
97	Dudley West Midlands	£1,239/mo	£2,145	£858	£30,822
98	St. Helens North West	£1,239/mo	£2,403	£807	£31,443
99	Derbyshire Dales East Midlands	£1,240/mo	£2,445	£819	£33,700
100	Torridge South West	£1,240/mo	£2,601	£789	£28,752
101	Boston East Midlands	£1,243/mo	£2,309	£806	£27,729
102	Erewash East Midlands	£1,243/mo	£2,361	£834	£31,673
103	Great Yarmouth East of England	£1,243/mo	£2,414	£841	£28,808
104	Rossendale North West	£1,245/mo	£2,520	£811	£30,487
105	Chorley North West	£1,246/mo	£2,430	£798	£33,337
106	Derby East Midlands	£1,246/mo	£2,306	£860	£30,467
107	Torfaen Wales	£1,247/mo	£2,156	£862	£33,201
108	East Suffolk East of England	£1,250/mo	£2,335	£842	£30,261
109	North Yorkshire Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,250/mo	£2,544	£849	£30,683
110	Herefordshire West Midlands	£1,251/mo	£2,574	£821	£29,361
111	South Derbyshire East Midlands	£1,251/mo	£2,340	£882	£35,452
112	Knowsley North West	£1,253/mo	£2,488	£858	£32,542
113	Ribble Valley North West	£1,253/mo	£2,386	£818	£34,077
114	Gateshead North East	£1,254/mo	£2,716	£804	£29,494
115	Lancaster North West	£1,254/mo	£2,503	£823	£29,651
116	East Staffordshire West Midlands	£1,255/mo	£2,351	£858	£31,517
117	Westmorland and Furness North West	£1,257/mo	£2,508	£816	£33,988
118	Forest of Dean South West	£1,259/mo	£2,443	£828	£36,589
119	Shropshire West Midlands	£1,260/mo	£2,528	£823	£29,603
120	Fylde North West	£1,262/mo	£2,484	£870	£36,020
121	North Devon South West	£1,266/mo	£2,642	£846	£28,386
122	High Peak East Midlands	£1,268/mo	£2,385	£937	£32,258
123	Stafford West Midlands	£1,269/mo	£2,303	£901	£33,872
124	North Norfolk East of England	£1,278/mo	£2,460	£865	£28,421
125	North West Leicestershire East Midlands	£1,279/mo	£2,418	£914	£32,252
126	Sefton North West	£1,279/mo	£2,583	£938	£29,335
127	Rochdale North West	£1,281/mo	£2,601	£855	£29,535
128	Hinckley and Bosworth East Midlands	£1,282/mo	£2,383	£934	£31,591
129	West Devon South West	£1,284/mo	£2,705	£846	£26,556
130	Torbay South West	£1,285/mo	£2,470	£920	£28,963
131	Fenland East of England	£1,287/mo	£2,538	£842	£30,125
132	Gedling East Midlands	£1,287/mo	£2,610	£904	£30,051
133	Lincoln East Midlands	£1,298/mo	£2,323	£942	£29,824
134	Bolton North West	£1,300/mo	£2,400	£894	£29,409
135	King's Lynn and West Norfolk East of England	£1,303/mo	£2,430	£941	£30,581
136	South Staffordshire West Midlands	£1,304/mo	£2,314	£958	£31,766
137	Nuneaton and Bedworth West Midlands	£1,305/mo	£2,502	£925	£32,402
138	Broxtowe East Midlands	£1,309/mo	£2,618	£942	£30,966
139	Walsall West Midlands	£1,311/mo	£2,627	£924	£29,112
140	Tamworth West Midlands	£1,313/mo	£2,301	£925	£33,167
141	Wychavon West Midlands	£1,313/mo	£2,373	£954	£29,661
142	Sandwell West Midlands	£1,314/mo	£2,244	£953	£27,652
143	Breckland East of England	£1,319/mo	£2,444	£928	£28,930
144	Mid Devon South West	£1,319/mo	£2,656	£878	£31,908
145	Warrington North West	£1,322/mo	£2,448	£899	£34,144
146	Charnwood East Midlands	£1,323/mo	£2,406	£960	£33,550
147	Newport Wales	£1,324/mo	£2,088	£959	£31,495
148	Swansea Wales	£1,324/mo	£2,238	£852	£32,091
149	Wolverhampton West Midlands	£1,327/mo	£2,539	£945	£31,308
150	East Dunbartonshire Scotland	£1,329/mo	£1,752	£1,171	£38,000
151	North Northamptonshire East Midlands	£1,329/mo	£2,424	£992	£32,882
152	Redditch West Midlands	£1,329/mo	£2,463	£976	£29,113
153	Isle of Wight South East	£1,331/mo	£2,626	£951	£26,740
154	Teignbridge South West	£1,332/mo	£2,643	£961	£28,911
155	Tameside North West	£1,334/mo	£2,447	£931	£29,877
156	Rutland East Midlands	£1,341/mo	£2,738	£961	£39,559
157	Bury North West	£1,342/mo	£2,555	£969	£31,687
158	Malvern Hills West Midlands	£1,343/mo	£2,451	£946	£28,167
159	Broadland East of England	£1,344/mo	£2,438	£938	£30,920
160	Sheffield Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,344/mo	£2,510	£931	£31,816
161	Cheshire East North West	£1,345/mo	£2,455	£985	£33,221
162	Liverpool North West	£1,349/mo	£2,674	£913	£30,947
163	South Norfolk East of England	£1,352/mo	£2,483	£981	£32,934
164	Peterborough East of England	£1,354/mo	£2,293	£1,012	£29,828
165	Worcester West Midlands	£1,355/mo	£2,406	£977	£32,997
166	Harborough East Midlands	£1,356/mo	£2,390	£973	£34,321
167	East Devon South West	£1,359/mo	£2,595	£968	£32,154
168	Blaby East Midlands	£1,361/mo	£2,490	£998	£31,950
169	Oldham North West	£1,361/mo	£2,602	£942	£29,124
170	Cornwall South West	£1,362/mo	£2,591	£1,000	£28,210
171	Vale of Glamorgan Wales	£1,362/mo	£2,232	£982	£31,410
172	Babergh East of England	£1,364/mo	£2,342	£965	£30,118
173	Somerset South West	£1,364/mo	£2,561	£1,016	£29,908
174	Bromsgrove West Midlands	£1,366/mo	£2,479	£992	£36,409
175	Mid Suffolk East of England	£1,367/mo	£2,317	£1,005	£31,507
176	Hastings South East	£1,368/mo	£2,677	£1,007	£29,323
177	Leicester East Midlands	£1,368/mo	£2,529	£1,023	£27,858
178	Plymouth South West	£1,370/mo	£2,442	£1,004	£28,992
179	North Warwickshire West Midlands	£1,372/mo	£2,532	£982	£35,067
180	Monmouthshire Wales	£1,376/mo	£2,416	£994	£35,020
181	Oadby and Wigston East Midlands	£1,376/mo	£2,407	£1,024	£28,368
182	Cheshire West and Chester North West	£1,378/mo	£2,517	£991	£32,391
183	Lichfield West Midlands	£1,382/mo	£2,352	£1,103	£33,763
184	Rushcliffe East Midlands	£1,383/mo	£2,643	£1,047	£36,705
185	Dover South East	£1,386/mo	£2,462	£1,021	£33,704
186	East Cambridgeshire East of England	£1,388/mo	£2,485	£1,038	£34,311
187	Ipswich East of England	£1,399/mo	£2,468	£995	£30,928
188	Nottingham East Midlands	£1,401/mo	£2,755	£1,014	£26,512
189	Tendring East of England	£1,401/mo	£2,270	£1,053	£29,545
190	West Northamptonshire East Midlands	£1,401/mo	£2,487	£1,084	£33,059
191	Gloucester South West	£1,404/mo	£2,356	£1,116	£30,455
192	Rugby West Midlands	£1,404/mo	£2,483	£1,049	£41,814
193	Tewkesbury South West	£1,404/mo	£2,341	£1,093	£31,603
194	Huntingdonshire East of England	£1,406/mo	£2,556	£1,057	£33,375
195	Coventry West Midlands	£1,410/mo	£2,517	£1,020	£33,063
196	South Hams South West	£1,412/mo	£2,615	£1,012	£29,721
197	Stroud South West	£1,412/mo	£2,491	£1,041	£33,495
198	Dorset South West	£1,417/mo	£2,765	£1,056	£31,444
199	Leeds Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,422/mo	£2,284	£1,145	£31,679
200	Wiltshire South West	£1,422/mo	£2,572	£1,082	£31,873
201	East Renfrewshire Scotland	£1,429/mo	£1,620	£1,266	£39,965
202	Swale South East	£1,433/mo	£2,406	£1,114	£33,647
203	Thanet South East	£1,433/mo	£2,491	£1,118	£28,323
204	Glasgow Scotland	£1,435/mo	£1,706	£1,266	£32,121
205	Norwich East of England	£1,435/mo	£2,503	£1,142	£30,421
206	Maldon East of England	£1,443/mo	£2,328	£1,139	£32,599
207	Bedford East of England	£1,456/mo	£2,472	£1,173	£35,987
208	Colchester East of England	£1,464/mo	£2,283	£1,197	£31,589
209	Stratford-on-Avon West Midlands	£1,465/mo	£2,484	£1,149	£34,847
210	West Suffolk East of England	£1,466/mo	£2,351	£1,183	£33,437
211	Newcastle upon Tyne North East	£1,467/mo	£2,542	£1,215	£30,144
212	Folkestone and Hythe South East	£1,468/mo	£2,539	£1,178	£33,355
213	Birmingham West Midlands	£1,472/mo	£2,363	£1,099	£30,180
214	Stockport North West	£1,472/mo	£2,619	£1,119	£33,565
215	Gosport South East	£1,474/mo	£2,344	£1,169	£34,256
216	Rother South East	£1,477/mo	£2,701	£1,165	£30,790
217	Fareham South East	£1,478/mo	£2,271	£1,176	£38,851
218	Swindon South West	£1,484/mo	£2,438	£1,096	£33,135
219	North Somerset South West	£1,488/mo	£2,491	£1,209	£32,996
220	Eastbourne South East	£1,489/mo	£2,654	£1,169	£31,199
221	Solihull West Midlands	£1,489/mo	£2,197	£1,279	£36,672
222	Braintree East of England	£1,494/mo	£2,280	£1,213	£34,546
223	Havant South East	£1,501/mo	£2,320	£1,151	£30,819
224	Arun South East	£1,508/mo	£2,487	£1,231	£29,809
225	Eastleigh South East	£1,512/mo	£2,342	£1,214	£34,474
226	York Yorkshire and The Humber	£1,515/mo	£2,287	£1,199	£32,961
227	New Forest South East	£1,519/mo	£2,420	£1,244	£31,344
228	Southend-on-Sea East of England	£1,521/mo	£2,265	£1,306	£33,594
229	Central Bedfordshire East of England	£1,523/mo	£2,516	£1,250	£36,622
230	Cheltenham South West	£1,529/mo	£2,370	£1,261	£36,014
231	Cardiff Wales	£1,530/mo	£2,013	£1,177	£32,756
232	Canterbury South East	£1,531/mo	£2,419	£1,280	£30,188
233	Warwick West Midlands	£1,531/mo	£2,462	£1,241	£39,797
234	Cotswold South West	£1,532/mo	£2,392	£1,252	£32,927
235	Southampton South East	£1,534/mo	£2,381	£1,257	£32,907
236	Test Valley South East	£1,536/mo	£2,306	£1,235	£35,314
237	Rochford East of England	£1,539/mo	£2,363	£1,300	£38,107
238	Medway South East	£1,546/mo	£2,329	£1,232	£33,857
239	Salford North West	£1,546/mo	£2,594	£1,170	£30,495
240	Portsmouth South East	£1,548/mo	£2,292	£1,368	£30,962
241	Worthing South East	£1,548/mo	£2,456	£1,297	£32,823
242	Ashford South East	£1,549/mo	£2,410	£1,248	£32,991
243	East Hampshire South East	£1,552/mo	£2,344	£1,262	£39,682
244	Uttlesford East of England	£1,552/mo	£2,334	£1,289	£41,006
245	Luton East of England	£1,561/mo	£2,440	£1,222	£28,741
246	Gravesham South East	£1,565/mo	£2,408	£1,336	£35,065
247	Wealden South East	£1,572/mo	£2,728	£1,262	£33,376
248	Basingstoke and Deane South East	£1,575/mo	£2,255	£1,309	£39,279
249	Maidstone South East	£1,579/mo	£2,503	£1,297	£34,151
250	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole South West	£1,582/mo	£2,436	£1,398	£31,848
251	Exeter South West	£1,583/mo	£2,495	£1,318	£29,531
252	Thurrock East of England	£1,583/mo	£2,255	£1,380	£36,407
253	Trafford North West	£1,583/mo	£2,292	£1,369	£35,593
254	Castle Point East of England	£1,589/mo	£2,319	£1,262	£35,975
255	West Berkshire South East	£1,597/mo	£2,505	£1,338	£38,513
256	Lewes South East	£1,600/mo	£2,756	£1,333	£33,088
257	Chichester South East	£1,605/mo	£2,470	£1,333	£28,585
258	West Oxfordshire South East	£1,618/mo	£2,567	£1,305	£35,388
259	Edinburgh Scotland	£1,622/mo	£1,626	£1,415	£37,380
260	East Lothian Scotland	£1,626/mo	£1,698	£1,415	£33,737
261	Rushmoor South East	£1,628/mo	£2,320	£1,385	£33,734
262	Basildon East of England	£1,629/mo	£2,327	£1,424	£34,133
263	Milton Keynes South East	£1,630/mo	£2,372	£1,344	£36,061
264	Midlothian Scotland	£1,634/mo	£1,816	£1,415	£31,856
265	Cherwell South East	£1,640/mo	£2,583	£1,304	£36,568
266	Manchester North West	£1,644/mo	£2,312	£1,373	£30,067
267	Vale of White Horse South East	£1,652/mo	£2,577	£1,352	£38,859
268	Adur South East	£1,663/mo	£2,548	£1,410	£30,217
269	Harlow East of England	£1,667/mo	£2,299	£1,521	£30,654
270	Mid Sussex South East	£1,668/mo	£2,474	£1,423	£37,705
271	Winchester South East	£1,669/mo	£2,360	£1,508	£38,352
272	South Cambridgeshire East of England	£1,670/mo	£2,536	£1,408	£42,690
273	South Gloucestershire South West	£1,671/mo	£2,551	£1,464	£35,002
274	Hart South East	£1,677/mo	£2,400	£1,414	£39,341
275	North Hertfordshire East of England	£1,678/mo	£2,449	£1,434	£42,703
276	Stevenage East of England	£1,679/mo	£2,392	£1,440	£35,747
277	Horsham South East	£1,680/mo	£2,441	£1,474	£36,448
278	Tonbridge and Malling South East	£1,691/mo	£2,472	£1,489	£35,106
279	Buckinghamshire South East	£1,697/mo	£2,527	£1,475	£35,937
280	Surrey Heath South East	£1,703/mo	£2,585	£1,503	£37,793
281	Chelmsford East of England	£1,704/mo	£2,300	£1,439	£35,791
282	South Oxfordshire South East	£1,708/mo	£2,598	£1,402	£43,026
283	Bracknell Forest South East	£1,713/mo	£2,265	£1,462	£36,067
284	Tunbridge Wells South East	£1,713/mo	£2,446	£1,533	£35,319
285	Wokingham South East	£1,714/mo	£2,498	£1,466	£43,538
286	Welwyn Hatfield East of England	£1,717/mo	£2,452	£1,512	£37,805
287	Crawley South East	£1,722/mo	£2,418	£1,488	£34,225
288	Waverley South East	£1,724/mo	£2,605	£1,459	£42,326
289	East Hertfordshire East of England	£1,740/mo	£2,455	£1,533	£44,154
290	Dartford South East	£1,744/mo	£2,375	£1,575	£36,210
291	Runnymede South East	£1,744/mo	£2,493	£1,586	£42,203
292	Brentwood East of England	£1,749/mo	£2,258	£1,620	£39,864
293	Dacorum East of England	£1,750/mo	£2,409	£1,594	£36,473
294	Broxbourne East of England	£1,777/mo	£2,306	£1,685	£37,283
295	Reading South East	£1,783/mo	£2,613	£1,574	£35,454
296	Slough South East	£1,797/mo	£2,414	£1,565	£35,521
297	Woking South East	£1,799/mo	£2,598	£1,620	£38,172
298	Mole Valley South East	£1,801/mo	£2,520	£1,551	£35,341
299	Reigate and Banstead South East	£1,806/mo	£2,567	£1,640	£40,014
300	Tandridge South East	£1,825/mo	£2,595	£1,637	£33,316
301	Epsom and Ewell South East	£1,844/mo	£2,531	£1,690	£43,006
302	Guildford South East	£1,848/mo	£2,547	£1,736	£39,985
303	Brighton and Hove South East	£1,854/mo	£2,581	£1,808	£33,506
304	Bath and North East Somerset South West	£1,868/mo	£2,383	£1,885	£32,481
305	Windsor and Maidenhead South East	£1,872/mo	£1,953	£1,800	£37,653
306	Epping Forest East of England	£1,873/mo	£2,277	£1,844	£38,171
307	Spelthorne South East	£1,894/mo	£2,526	£1,696	£37,918
308	Bristol South West	£1,907/mo	£2,714	£1,883	£34,051
309	Hertsmere East of England	£1,909/mo	£2,406	£1,829	£36,159
310	Cambridge East of England	£1,911/mo	£2,467	£1,805	£38,711
311	Watford East of England	£1,920/mo	£2,447	£1,829	£37,172
312	St Albans East of England	£1,923/mo	£2,419	£1,931	£45,543
313	Three Rivers East of England	£1,927/mo	£2,422	£1,826	£39,615
314	Elmbridge South East	£1,928/mo	£2,558	£1,891	£42,607
315	Sevenoaks South East	£1,928/mo	£2,522	£1,809	£34,969
316	Havering London	£1,949/mo	£2,425	£1,565	£40,726
317	Bexley London	£1,957/mo	£2,366	£1,537	£36,883
318	Hillingdon London	£1,960/mo	£2,045	£1,570	£36,429
319	Sutton London	£1,968/mo	£2,379	£1,556	£38,359
320	Croydon London	£2,008/mo	£2,600	£1,582	£38,080
321	Oxford South East	£2,022/mo	£2,678	£1,963	£36,517
322	Bromley London	£2,026/mo	£2,140	£1,684	£43,981
323	Redbridge London	£2,091/mo	£2,295	£1,726	£37,190
324	Barking and Dagenham London	£2,094/mo	£2,199	£1,698	£32,911
325	Kingston upon Thames London	£2,122/mo	£2,609	£1,811	£41,833
326	Waltham Forest London	£2,129/mo	£2,387	£1,763	£37,971
327	Harrow London	£2,131/mo	£2,511	£1,778	£36,000
328	Enfield London	£2,144/mo	£2,268	£1,827	£34,962
329	Lewisham London	£2,177/mo	£2,237	£1,829	£39,505
330	Barnet London	£2,213/mo	£2,133	£1,949	£39,239
331	Greenwich London	£2,275/mo	£2,108	£1,995	£39,984
332	Brent London	£2,297/mo	£2,235	£2,014	£34,871
333	Hounslow London	£2,300/mo	£2,186	£1,952	£35,301
334	Newham London	£2,332/mo	£1,944	£1,928	£36,080
335	Ealing London	£2,343/mo	£2,139	£2,109	£35,665
336	Merton London	£2,353/mo	£2,147	£2,172	£43,507
337	Haringey London	£2,364/mo	£2,314	£2,219	£37,563
338	Richmond upon Thames London	£2,467/mo	£2,486	£2,333	£46,594
339	Southwark London	£2,579/mo	£1,967	£2,474	£43,006
340	Wandsworth London	£2,582/mo	£1,028	£2,632	£49,310
341	Lambeth London	£2,590/mo	£2,047	£2,525	£43,666
342	Hammersmith and Fulham London	£2,675/mo	£1,520	£2,825	£42,811
343	Tower Hamlets London	£2,687/mo	£1,838	£2,453	£45,183
344	Hackney London	£2,710/mo	£2,060	£2,658	£40,237
345	Camden London	£2,772/mo	£2,208	£2,819	£44,088
346	Islington London	£2,890/mo	£2,108	£2,868	£47,411
347	Westminster London	£3,194/mo	£1,050	£3,196	£45,172
348	Kensington and Chelsea London	£3,324/mo	£1,667	£3,690	£46,690

Scottish rents are published for 18 rental market areas, not for each council, so neighbouring councils can share a rent figure.

A closer look at the top 10

Dumfries and Galloway tops the list at around £1,011/month for a single person, followed by North Ayrshire (£1,050), South Ayrshire (£1,051), East Ayrshire (£1,052) and Hartlepool (£1,055). Every area in the top five clears the UK average of £1,481/month by a comfortable margin.

What the top 10 has in common is low rent. One-bed rents at the top of the ranking sit in the £400 to £510 a month range, well below the £1,000-plus figures common across the South East and London. Council tax and utility bills vary less between areas than rent does, so the ranking here is essentially a rent-driven picture with council tax modulating positions by a few pounds either way.

Geographically the top 10 clusters in Scotland and the surrounding low-cost regions. Rural Scottish authorities dominate the very top because they combine low rents with moderate council tax and lower transport-cost assumptions than London. Northern English and Welsh authorities fill much of the rest of the top 20 for the same reason.

Low monthly cost does not automatically mean best value. Some areas at the top of this ranking also have below-average local earnings, so a local salary can go slightly less far than the raw cost figure suggests. The best value rankings factor in local earnings and are the natural next step if affordability relative to income is what matters most.

Key findings

The cheapest area is Dumfries and Galloway at around £1,011/month for a single person.
9 of the top 10 cheapest areas are in Scotland.
The average monthly cost across all 348 ranked areas is £1,481/month.
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive is around £2,313/month.

Methodology

Areas are ranked by an estimated single-person monthly cost basket: 1-bed average rent from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Band D council tax for 2026-27 with the 25% single occupier discount applied, the Ofgem energy price cap monthly estimate, the average monthly water bill from the local water company, plus £220 groceries and a transport estimate (£160 for London boroughs, £80 elsewhere). The ranking covers 348 local authorities where every input is available. Council tax is shown as a secondary column so the individual line is visible, but the ranking is by total cost rather than council tax alone.

Read more about our data sources and approach on the About page.

Frequently asked questions about the cheapest places to live

What is the cheapest place to live in the UK?

How are the cheapest places ranked?

Which region has the cheapest places to live?

What does the monthly cost include?

The monthly cost figure covers the essentials a single person renting a one-bedroom home would typically pay: 1-bed rent, Band D council tax with the single occupier discount, energy and water bills, £220 groceries and £80 transport (£160 in London boroughs). It doesn't include discretionary spending, savings, or one-off costs. For a personalised estimate, try the cost of living calculator. To see where local salaries stretch furthest against these costs, see the best value rankings.

Related rankings

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