The UK Cities Where Solo Renters Save the Most

Living alone has many perks: independence, peace, and the freedom to do things your way. But it can also mean higher expenses, especially when you’re not sharing rent, utility bills, or groceries.

That doesn’t mean you can’t still make smart financial decisions, though – from putting money away to finding ways to reduce monthly costs. Solo living can still be affordable with a few smart habits and lifestyle tweaks.

However, where you live makes a big difference, with solo renting much more affordable in some areas than others.

We looked into the most affordable places to live on your own, based on council tax, average living costs, net earnings, and estimated disposable income.

The most affordable places for a solo renter

First, we’ve looked at which local authorities have the most disposable income after considering net median earnings, typical rental costs for a two-bedroom property, and Band D council tax with the solo occupant discount.

Editor's Note: We originally considered analysing one-bedroom properties, but bumped it up to two to account for a higher standard of living.

1. East Renfrewshire, Scotland - £18,425

East Renfrewshire offers the highest disposable income for solo renters in the UK. While it doesn’t have the highest average salary, it provides modest rental costs, manageable council tax, and energy bills under £900 a year, giving solo residents over £18k to spare annually. This makes it an attractive option for professionals seeking financial breathing room close to Glasgow.

If you were to save 20% of your disposable income here in an ISA, you’d contribute around £3,685 a year. After five years, that pot could grow to £19,959, or £44,242 after ten years with compound interest.

2. South Ayrshire, Scotland - £17,826

South Ayrshire, taking second place, combines lower-than-average rent costs (£576 a month) with decent earnings and electricity and gas costs of under £800 a year. Its coastal charm and affordable rents mean solo dwellers can enjoy both lifestyle and savings, which is particularly appealing for those who want a quieter life outside major cities.

Saving 20% of that disposable income into an ISA would mean putting away £3,565 annually, leading to a projected ISA value of £19,310 after five years, or £42,804 over ten years.

3. North Ayrshire, Scotland - £16,513

North Ayrshire has slightly lower earnings than its southern neighbour, at £26,688, although marginally lower costs balance this out. For example, the area has average gas bill costs of just £338 a year, which helps keep take-home income healthy. A little more rural than its southern counterpart, North Ayrshire includes islands like Arran and several inland towns and villages, perfect for nature lovers.

Investing 20% of your disposable income here would mean annual savings of around £3,303, which would turn into £17,888 in five years or £39,652 in ten.

4. East Dunbartonshire, Scotland - £16,457

East Dunbartonshire is a family-friendly commuter area north of Glasgow with plenty of green space. Despite the highest average annual rent in the top five (£10,836), strong earnings (£30,701) and relatively low energy costs still provide a healthy disposable income. It suits young professionals who earn well and don’t mind paying a slight premium for the lifestyle perks.

Setting aside 20% of your disposable income here would net you around £3,291 a year, which could grow to £17,828 in five years or £39,518 in ten years.

5. Rutland, England - £16,405

Rutland is England’s smallest county, packed with countryside charm, within commuting distance of Leicester and Peterborough, and is the only English location in the top five. High earnings (£30,396) help, but it’s held back by the highest council tax in the country, at over £2,000 a year. This pattern is replicated in much of England, where steeper costs drag down higher wages.

By saving 20% of your solo disposable income, you’d put away £3,281 each year. After five years, this could reach £17,771, or £39,393 over ten years.

Damien's thoughts

What this data shows, really interestingly, is that many people could walk away with more money each month if they moved to cheaper areas of the UK – but it’s not always that easy. 

The areas with the most disposable income aren’t actually the cheapest areas of the country – yes, they’re on the cheaper side, but they’re also areas with wages that aren’t the lowest. So you have to find a balance, but that’s the simple part.

The harder part is upping sticks and moving somewhere new, something many people and families could do in London already if they wanted more cash, but they choose not to. Why? Because of family, friends, and familiarity. If everything came down to cost, we’d all be living in Paraguay. 

This desire to retain familiarity means we’re usually stuck trying to make budgeting decisions that won’t make much of a difference: switching energy supplier to save £20 per year, or cooking in bulk to save £5 on the weekly shop – and look, these savings really matter to so many people in the UK, now more than ever, so they are important. 

But if saving larger amounts of money is the only goal, the two most drastic solutions are: earn more money, or move somewhere cheaper.

Methodology

Median salary sourced from the Office for National Statistics’ earnings and hours worked, place of residence by local authority: ASHE Table 8.

A ‘net’ figure was then calculated based on each country's latest income tax and national insurance rates. This assumes the standard tax code and doesn't consider pension contributions, student loans, or other deductions.

Average rent for a two-bedroom property sourced from the Office for National Statistics’ Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics. Note that data for Scotland is split into ‘Broad Rental Market Areas’ rather than local authorities, so these were manually matched up.

Band D council tax figures (adjusted for the 25% single occupant discount) were sourced from: 

• The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s live tables on Council Tax
• The Scottish Government’s council tax datasets
• StatsWales’ Council Tax data

Energy bills were estimated by first taking electricity and gas consumption figures from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s regional and local authority electricity and gas consumption statistics.

These were then multiplied by the unit rate (paid by Direct Debit, single rate) for the relevant region according to Ofgem and combined with the daily standing charge multiplied by 365.

The average annual household expenditure on food and non-alcoholic drinks was sourced from the Office for National Statistics’ family spending workbook 3: expenditure by region, which refers to the broader region.

Estimated solo disposable income was calculated by subtracting the average rent and council tax from the net salary in each area.

Estimated ISA values were based on saving 20% of disposable income and a 4% interest rate, assuming annual compound growth and no withdrawals, with the standard UK tax code.

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