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Cambridge property market

In Cambridge (East of England) the average private rent is £1,805/month (ONS, May 2026) and the average house price is £462,145 (HM Land Registry, April 2026). That puts rent 31% above and house prices 71% above the UK average. The gross rental yield works out at 4.7%.

Average rent
£1,805/mo
+2.0% YoY
Average house price
£462,145
-4.2% 12m
Gross rental yield
4.7%
UK avg 6.1%
Price-to-rent
21.3
UK avg 16.3

Rent vs buy in Cambridge

The average home in Cambridge costs about 21.3 years of average rent (price-to-rent ratio 21.3), compared with 16.3 for the UK as a whole. On this market-level signal, buying looks relatively more expensive here than the UK average. This is an arithmetic ratio of the two official figures above — a market indicator, not personal financial advice.

Rent affordability in Cambridge

Average rent of £1,805/month is about 50% of the local full-time gross median salary of £43,204 (ONS ASHE 2024). The ONS guideline treats rent at or below 30% of income as "affordable", so Cambridge is above that threshold on this proxy.

Honesty note: this uses individual full-time pay, not household income, so it sits above the official household-based series. ONS Private rental affordability, England (FYE2024). Median income of private-renting households basis — distinct from the proxy below.

Go deeper

Nearby areas in East of England

Frequently asked questions

What is the average rent in Cambridge?
The average monthly private rent in Cambridge is £1,805, according to the ONS Price Index of Private Rents (May 2026), +2.0% over the past 12 months. The UK average is £1,383.
What is the average house price in Cambridge?
The average house price in Cambridge is £462,145 (HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, April 2026), -4.2% over 12 months. The UK average is £270,080.
What is the gross rental yield in Cambridge?
Dividing the average annual rent (£21,660) by the average house price (£462,145) gives a gross rental yield of 4.7% in Cambridge. This is a "gross" figure — before voids, management, maintenance and tax. The UK-average gross yield on the same basis is 6.1%.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Cambridge?
In Cambridge the average house price equals about 21.3 years of average rent (price-to-rent ratio 21.3). A higher ratio leans toward renting being relatively cheaper month-to-month; a lower ratio leans toward buying. The UK-average ratio is 16.3. This is a market-level signal, not personal financial advice.
Is rent affordable in Cambridge?
The average rent in Cambridge (£1,805/month) is about 50% of the local full-time gross median salary of £43,204 (ONS ASHE 2024). The ONS guideline is that rent at or below 30% of income is "affordable", so Cambridge is above that threshold on this proxy. Note this uses individual full-time pay, not household income, so it sits above the official household-based series.

Rent: Office for National Statistics — Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics — edition 17 June 2026, reference May 2026 (ONS PIPR). House prices: HM Land Registry — UK House Price Index (UKHPI), reference April 2026 (UKHPI). Both © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Gross rental yield and price-to-rent ratio are computed from these two figures.