Rent or buy in South East?
In South East the average home costs £376,819 (HM Land Registry UKHPI, April 2026) while the average private rent is £1,418 a month, or £17,016 a year (ONS PIPR, May 2026). The price-to-rent ratio is 22.1, which tends to favour renting on the conventional rule of thumb (UK average 16.3).
- Price-to-rent ratio
- 22.1
- <15 buy · 16–20 balanced · >20 rent
- Average house price
- £376,819
- UKHPI
- Average monthly rent
- £1,418
- ONS PIPR
- Annual rent
- £17,016
The price-to-rent ratio is the average house price divided by one year of rent. It is a like-for-like value signal, not a mortgage calculation: it ignores interest rates, maintenance and house-price growth, so treat it as a starting point rather than personal advice.
Similar areas by price-to-rent
See also: years of salary to buy in South East · full house prices in South East
Frequently asked questions
- Is it cheaper to rent or buy in South East?
- In South East the average home costs £376,819 (HM Land Registry UKHPI, April 2026) and the average private rent is £1,418 a month, or £17,016 a year (ONS PIPR, May 2026). That is a price-to-rent ratio of 22.1, which tends to favour renting on the conventional rule of thumb.
- What is the price-to-rent ratio in South East?
- The price-to-rent ratio in South East is 22.1 — the £376,819 average house price divided by £17,016 of annual rent. A ratio below 15 is usually read as favouring buying, 16–20 as balanced, and above 20 as favouring renting.
- How much is rent in South East?
- The average monthly private rent in South East is £1,418 (ONS Price Index of Private Rents, May 2026).
- Does South East favour renting or buying compared with the UK?
- South East's price-to-rent ratio of 22.1 compares with 16.3 for the UK as a whole, so relative to renting, buying here is pricier than the UK average.
Sources: house price — HM Land Registry — UK House Price Index (UKHPI) (April 2026); rent — ONS — Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics (May 2026). Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. UKHPI and ONS PIPR are published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.