The number of young people living alone in the UK has shot up by a third in the last year, growing from 178,000 to 237,000. While solo living is clearly becoming a more appealing choice, it is set against the backdrop of a cost of living crisis challenging the majority of Britain’s population’s finances, making the burden of living independently far heavier.
In light of this, home and property experts Alan Boswell Group has analysed the cost and square footage of one-bedroom flats, studios and single rooms in England to determine the most and least expensive cities to rent alone.
Key Findings:
- Hull is the cheapest UK city to live alone, with a rental price per square metre of £8.85.
- Bradford, costing renters £9.17 per sqm, ranks as the second least expensive UK city to live alone.
- London is the most expensive city to live alone in the UK, costing renters £23.39 per sqm.
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The cheapest cities to live alone in the UK
| Rank | City | Average monthly rent to live alone per sqm |
| 1 | Hull | £8.85 |
| 2 | Bradford | £9.17 |
| 3 | Stoke-on-Trent | £9.22 |
| 4 | Liverpool | £9.91 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton | £10.57 |
| =6 | Newcastle upon Tyne | £10.99 |
| =6 | Sheffield | £10.99 |
| 8 | Coventry | £11.51 |
| 9 | Plymouth | £11.77 |
| 10 | Leicester | £11.83 |
*The full dataset including data for all UK cities is available to view here.
Hull is the most affordable UK city to live alone, with rent costing just £8.85 on average per square metre. Every city in the top 10 is based in the north/midlands, with the exception of Plymouth. Residents in this south-west city pay £11.77 per sqm, around £3 more than those in Hull.
Bradford ranks as the second cheapest city to live alone, costing £9.17 per sqm on average. This is far cheaper than neighbouring Leeds, where those living alone pay an average of £12.31.
Ranking third cheapest is Stoke-on-Trent, costing renters £9.22 per sqm to live alone. They’re closely followed by Liverpool (£9.91) in fourth and Wolverhampton (£10.57) in fifth.
The most expensive cities to live alone in the UK
| Rank | City | Average monthly rent to live alone per sqm |
| 1 | London | £23.39 |
| 2 | Bristol | £19.33 |
| 3 | Brighton and Hove | £19.32 |
| 4 | Reading | £17.40 |
| 5 | Milton Keynes | £16.67 |
| 6 | Luton | £16.34 |
| 7 | Southampton | £15.50 |
| 8 | Manchester | £14.74 |
| 9 | Portsmouth | £14.69 |
| 10 | Northampton | £13.82 |
*The full dataset including data for all UK cities is available to view here.
London is the most expensive city to live alone in the UK, costing renters an average of £23.39 per square metre. The bustling capital of the UK is one of the world’s leading financial centres for international business and is packed full of amenities, however its rental prices may make it trickier to live alone in this city.
Bristol, ranks as the second most expensive city to live alone in the UK, costing renters £19.33 per sqm on average.
Living alone in the North vs South
Northern areas have an average price for renting a flat to live alone in equal to £10.22 per sqm. Southern areas have an average price for renting a flat to live alone in equal to £18.09 per sqm, a 76.95% increase compared to the North.
