Most expensive places to live in the UK 2026

Q: What is the most expensive place to live in the UK?

Based on estimated single-person monthly costs, Kensington and Chelsea is the most expensive place to live in the UK at around £3,324/month. That covers rent, council tax, energy, water, groceries and transport.

Q: Why are some areas so much more expensive?

Rent is by far the biggest driver of the gap. Council tax matters at the margins, especially across English boroughs that vary by hundreds of pounds a year at Band D. Energy and water bills barely change between areas because national price caps and small regional variations keep the numbers close.

Q: Are expensive areas always the worst value?

Not always. Some expensive areas have higher salaries that offset the cost. For a salary-adjusted view, see our best value rankings, which sort by what share of the local salary essential housing costs eat.

Q: What costs are included in this ranking?

1-bed rent, Band D council tax with the single person discount, monthly energy and water bills, £220 groceries, and £80 transport (£160 in London boroughs). This is a single-person estimate; couples and families sharing a property have a different cost picture.

These are the most expensive places to live in the UK in 2026, ranked by the estimated monthly living cost for a single person. The basket covers rent (1-bed), council tax (Band D with the single occupant discount), energy and water bills, plus standard estimates for groceries and transport. The most expensive area is Kensington and Chelsea at around £3,324/month, compared to the UK average of £1,481/month across all 348 ranked areas.

Data last updated: 15 June 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 area ranked by estimated single-person monthly cost, from highest to lowest. You can search for a specific area, filter by region, or click any column header to sort by council tax, rent, or earnings instead. Click any area name to see its full cost of living profile.

Showing 348 of 348 areas.

UK average £1,481/mo

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

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

Every single area in the top 10 is a London borough. Kensington and Chelsea leads at around £3,324 a month for a single person, followed by Westminster (£3,194), Islington (£2,890), Hackney (£2,710) and Camden (£2,772). The gap between the top of the table and the UK average of £1,481 is roughly £1,843 a month, or over £22,116 a year.

Rent does almost all of the work in pushing these figures up. The typical one-bedroom rent in Kensington and Chelsea is around £2,640 a month; in most of the country it sits well under £1,000. Energy and water bills barely change between areas because national price caps flatten the differences, and the shared £220 groceries and £160 London transport allowance in the basket are constant across every London row.

Council tax is the surprise on this list. Wandsworth appears at #9 in the most expensive rankings despite having the single lowest Band D bill in the whole UK at £1,028 a year. Westminster is #2 for monthly cost with the second-lowest council tax in the country. High rent completely swamps whatever those authorities have chosen to charge, which is a useful reminder that "most expensive to live in" and "highest council tax" are two very different rankings.

Outside London, higher-earning South East authorities like Elmbridge, Guildford and St Albans sit further down the list rather than in the top 10, because their rent premiums are smaller than inner-London's. And several inner-London boroughs pair their high costs with average earnings of £42,000 to £49,000, which softens the gap somewhat when you look at the earnings-adjusted rankings.

Key findings

The most expensive area is Kensington and Chelsea at around £3,324/month for a single person.
10 of the top 10 most expensive areas are in London.
The average monthly living cost across all 348 ranked areas is £1,481/month.
Living in the most expensive area costs around £2,313/month more than the cheapest area in our data, Dumfries and Galloway (£1,011/month).

Methodology

Areas are ranked by an estimated single-person monthly cost made up of: 1-bed average rent from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Band D council tax for 2026-27 with the 25% single occupant 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. Where data is missing for any input, the area is excluded.

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

Frequently asked questions about the most expensive places to live

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Why are some areas so much more expensive?

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