Average monthly private rent in Kingston has increased by 4.4% since February 2025, more than elsewhere in London and the UK
Since February last year, average rent in Kingston has increased by £76, rising from £1,732 in 2025 to £1,808 in 2026, according to data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Across London, average rents rose by £38 while UK-wide average rents rose by £47.
Source: ONS | Graphics: Valentina Vinciarelli
Kingston remained more affordable than neighbouring areas such as Richmond, Wandsworth and Merton, but the rising costs of renting in the borough reflect the wider “affordability crisis” – the rising cost of housing, food, and energy bills – coupled with the aftershocks of the pandemic which still resonate across the housing market, according to experts.
Source: ONS | Graphics: Valentina Vinciarelli
Surveyor Paul Dolan of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), has said: “In South West London […] the affordable rental schemes are unaffordable, so this sector is experiencing vacancy whereas the period rental market with open market rentals have high occupancy therefore stable rent increases.”
A growing number of people are renting in the UK and “they’re paying a growing share of their income to do so,” according to Sky News data journalist Joely Santa Cruz.
Additional data by the ONS showed that in 2023 and 2024 Kingston’s households spent 39.3% of their income on rent.
The ONS considers an area “affordable” if people spend 30% or less of their income on private rent. By this measure, Kingston was already unaffordable at the time, and it is likely that its affordability ratio may have only worsened since.
