New research by the personal finance comparison website finder.com has revealed that individuals earning the average salary are finding it increasingly difficult to afford a one-bedroom flat in 10 out of 56 major UK cities, accounting for 18% of the surveyed areas.

The London rental market tops the list of unaffordability. Despite the average annual salary in London being £43,629, a significantly higher income of £64,930 is required to comfortably rent a one-bedroom flat and cover daily living expenses.

Trailing London in unaffordability is Brighton. Here, the average salary of £34,860 pales in comparison to the £41,010 necessary to secure a one-bedroom flat at £1,300 per month, along with living costs.

In third place is St Albans, where the steep rental prices make it tough for residents. With an average monthly rent of £1,425 for a one-bedroom flat, a salary of £42,492 is needed—approximately £5,000 more than the area’s average income.

The study also highlighted that 9 out of the 10 least affordable cities for renters are located in the south of England. University towns such as Oxford and Cambridge are among the top five. Oxford demands a monthly rent of £1,390, necessitating a salary of £43,798, while Cambridge’s £1,500 monthly rent requires an income of £45,581. Both figures are notably higher than the cities’ average earnings.

Other cities like Bath and Bristol in the South West, along with Chelmsford and Southend in Essex, also fall into the unaffordable category for single renters on an average salary. Notably, Salford in Greater Manchester is the only northern city to appear on the list, with an average one-bedroom flat rent of £1,100 per month.

Kate Steere, a housing expert at finder.com, remarked: “There seems to be no slowing down of the UK’s rental crisis, with average UK private rents rising by 9.2% in the 12 months to March 2024.

“The situation is even more stark in London, where rents increased by 11.2% in the same period, the highest annual change since 2006.

“Our research highlights how these rent hikes are pricing the average person out of a number of UK cities, including those with good career opportunities.

“While couples can get around this by sharing a 1-bed flat, the current rental market is making it unaffordable for Brits to rent alone in many cities. This is yet another example of the ‘single tax’ – where people are penalised for living alone and priced out of many areas of the UK.”

This data sheds light on the growing financial strain on individuals seeking to rent alone in various parts of the UK, painting a stark picture of the ongoing rental crisis.