It’s not a shocking statement to say that rents have increased dramatically in the past five years. Average room rent in the UK is currently £753 per month - 27% more expensive compared to the same period in 2021. With wages failing to keep up, three quarters of renters now spend more than 30%* of their income on rent.
While sadly there’s no imminent solution for lowering rents, we’ve done the maths and put together several options which could help to make your rent cheaper - keep reading to see how!
1. Flatsharing vs renting solo
Flatsharing is nearly always cheaper than living alone. For example, renting in a shared house in Bristol would be, on average, £386 cheaper per month than renting alone** – a saving of nearly £5K per year.
Not only do you save money on rent by flatsharing, but bills will probably cost less too, as they‘ll be divided between more people. You can also often afford to live in a better neighbourhood than you could if you lived alone - potentially meaning amenities like transport links and supermarkets will be closer, helping to cut back on other expenses.
2. Lodging
On average, living with a homeowner is 11% cheaper than renting as a tenant - that's a saving of £83 a month using the UK average rent of £753. And if you live in London, rent can be up to 17% cheaper, making you a saving of £169! Some lodger adverts also offer to supplement rent costs in exchange for help around the home, such as pet sitting or gardening, making savings even larger.
It’s worth noting that lodgers' rights differ slightly to those of tenants, so it’s a good idea to do your reading before committing. But, there are many added perks of living with a resident landlord. For one, it’s already their home, so it might have more of a welcoming feel than a rental. Also, if anything breaks, it’s likely you’ll get it fixed more quickly as the landlord is affected as well. Finally, expanding your search on SpareRoom to include rooms for lodgers will also massively increase your choices of ads to choose from.
3. Living further out
Towns within commuting distance of cities often have cheaper rent. Now that remote working has become more common, living further out may be a viable option for those willing to relocate. For example, average room rents in Manchester are currently £701 per month. Just a short train ride away, in Bolton - around a 20 min train journey from Manchester - rents average £554 per month. Over the course of a year, rent in Bolton could save you £1,764 on rent, compared to Manchester.
Living out of a city may also offer a better quality of life as towns often have a slower pace, greater access to nature, a stronger sense of community, and a general lower cost of living.
The rental market is less than ideal for a lot of us right now, but it’s slowly showing signs of improvement - and additions like the Renters Rights Act will be hugely beneficial for bettering the lives of renters. In the meantime, for those looking for cheaper rent, these are just a few suggestions of alternative arrangements.
References
*SpareRoom renter survey, March 2025
**Calculated using SpareRoom Q3 2025 average rent and ONS average rent prices 2025
***SpareRoom Q3 2025 room rental data, (ads include bills)