How Much Does a Room in London Cost vs a Studio?
The median room in a shared London home asks £950 pcm, and the median studio asks £1,590 pcm: a gap of £640 a month, or £7,680 a year. The median one-bedroom flat asks £2,050. Of room ads with a bills field, 69.6% include all bills.
Published 13 October 2026. Asking rents in ads first seen 15 July to 12 October 2026.
These figures come from London rental ads that RentReboot collected: 34,651 room ads, 14,648 studio ads and 56,610 one-bedroom ads. They are asking rents in ads, not the rents people agreed. The median room asked 59.7% of the median studio, and £1,100 a month less than the median one-bedroom flat.
Two things change the comparison for your own budget. First, bills: of the room ads with a structured bills field, 69.6% say all bills are included. None of the studio ads in our data have that field. Second, the gap is not the same everywhere. In the 87 neighbourhoods with enough ads of both kinds, the median gap was £510 a month, and it ran from £150 to £1,780.
Use the calculator below to add your own bill estimates and compare an area.
Room or studio? Median asks by area
The live page has a calculator. Here are the medians it uses for London and its five regions.
| Area | Room | Studio | 1 bedroom | Studio minus room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All of London | £950 | £1,590 | £2,050 | £640 |
| Central London (region) | £1,250 | £2,200 | £3,050 | £950 |
| East London (region) | £932 | £1,899 | £2,102 | £967 |
| North London (region) | £900 | £1,450 | £1,950 | £550 |
| South London (region) | £920 | £1,400 | £1,800 | £480 |
| West London (region) | £997 | £1,517 | £2,200 | £520 |
Ads first seen 15 July 2026 to 12 October 2026 (90 days). Asking rents in pounds per calendar month (pcm). One ad per property record.
Room, studio and flat rents across London
Every figure here uses the same rules as our London average rent pages: the latest ad for each property, asking rent between £300 and £30,000 pcm, first seen in a 90-day window. Studios are whole homes listed with 0 bedrooms. Rooms are ads for a room in a shared home.
Median asking rent across London, by kind of home
| Kind of home | Median | 25th to 75th percentile | Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room in a shared home | £950 pcm | £800 to £1,150 | 34,651 |
| Studio | £1,590 pcm | £1,300 to £2,000 | 14,648 |
| 1 bedroom flat | £2,050 pcm | £1,675 to £2,600 | 56,610 |
| 2 bedroom flat | £2,650 pcm | £2,150 to £3,500 | 73,589 |
Ads first seen 15 July 2026 to 12 October 2026 (90 days). Asking rents in pounds per calendar month (pcm). One ad per property record.
- Room: median £950 pcm. The middle half of room asks ran from £800 to £1,150.
- Studio: median £1,590 pcm. The middle half ran from £1,300 to £2,000.
- 1 bedroom flat: median £2,050 pcm. The middle half ran from £1,675 to £2,600.
- 2 bedroom flat: median £2,650 pcm (73,589 ads).
The two price ranges barely overlap. 39.8% of room ads asked under £900 pcm. Only 2.4% of studio ads did, and 9.6% of studio ads asked under £1,100. At the top, 13.8% of room ads asked £1,300 or more.
How room and studio asks spread across price bands
| Asking rent (pcm) | Rooms | Studios |
|---|---|---|
| Under £700 | 7.1% (2,464) | 0.6% (89) |
| £700 to £899 | 32.7% (11,329) | 1.8% (265) |
| £900 to £1,099 | 29.3% (10,154) | 7.2% (1,051) |
| £1,100 to £1,299 | 17.1% (5,921) | 14.2% (2,075) |
| £1,300 to £1,499 | 7.9% (2,743) | 20% (2,929) |
| £1,500 to £1,799 | 3.7% (1,272) | 19.4% (2,841) |
| £1,800 to £2,199 | 1.1% (376) | 18.4% (2,693) |
| £2,200 or more | 1.1% (392) | 18.5% (2,705) |
Ads first seen 15 July 2026 to 12 October 2026 (90 days). Asking rents in pounds per calendar month (pcm). One ad per property record.
Room and studio rents in Central, East, North, South and West London
Rooms and studios both cost most in Central London, where the median studio asked £2,200 and the median room £1,250: a gap of £950. The gap was smallest in South London: £480 (£1,400 studio, £920 room).
Median asking rent by part of London
| Region | Room | Studio | 1 bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central | £1,250 (1,414) | £2,200 (1,265) | £3,050 (5,289) |
| East | £932 (9,367) | £1,899 (1,886) | £2,102 (11,160) |
| North | £900 (7,548) | £1,450 (3,772) | £1,950 (11,696) |
| South | £920 (11,052) | £1,400 (2,983) | £1,800 (14,480) |
| West | £997 (5,270) | £1,517 (4,742) | £2,200 (13,985) |
Ads first seen 15 July 2026 to 12 October 2026 (90 days). Asking rents in pounds per calendar month (pcm). One ad per property record.
| Region | Room | Studio | 1 bedroom | Studio minus room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | £1,250 (1,414 ads) | £2,200 (1,265) | £3,050 (5,289) | £950 |
| East | £932 (9,367) | £1,899 (1,886) | £2,102 (11,160) | £967 |
| North | £900 (7,548) | £1,450 (3,772) | £1,950 (11,696) | £550 |
| South | £920 (11,052) | £1,400 (2,983) | £1,800 (14,480) | £480 |
| West | £997 (5,270) | £1,517 (4,742) | £2,200 (13,985) | £520 |
East London had the widest gap of the five regions (£967), and its median studio (£1,899) was close to its median one-bedroom flat (£2,102).
Room vs studio rent in each London neighbourhood
We compare an area only when it has at least 30 room ads and 30 studio ads. 87 of our 100 London neighbourhoods qualify.
Room vs studio in each neighbourhood
Neighbourhoods with at least 30 room ads and 30 studio ads.
| Neighbourhood | Region | Room | Studio | Gap pcm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acton | West | £950 (574) | £1,450 (430) | £500 |
| Balham & Tooting | South | £926 (636) | £1,352 (73) | £426 |
| Barnet & Whetstone | North | £900 (131) | £1,250 (57) | £350 |
| Battersea & Nine Elms | South | £1,100 (615) | £2,880 (201) | £1,780 |
| Bermondsey & Rotherhithe | South | £1,029 (535) | £2,500 (347) | £1,471 |
| Bethnal Green & Spitalfields | East | £997 (862) | £1,919 (196) | £922 |
| Blackheath & Lewisham | South | £867 (476) | £1,292 (105) | £425 |
| Bloomsbury & King's Cross | Central | £1,314 (286) | £2,150 (293) | £836 |
| Borough & Bankside | Central | £1,149 (326) | £1,800 (43) | £651 |
| Bow & Poplar | East | £950 (1,044) | £1,825 (96) | £875 |
| Brentford & Isleworth | West | £850 (91) | £1,465 (158) | £615 |
| Brixton | South | £950 (479) | £1,250 (63) | £300 |
| Bromley, Beckenham & Penge | South | £850 (155) | £1,150 (45) | £300 |
| Camberwell | South | £900 (245) | £1,300 (30) | £400 |
| Camden Town & Primrose Hill | North | £1,150 (258) | £1,733 (137) | £583 |
| Canary Wharf & Isle of Dogs | East | £1,083 (838) | £2,123 (383) | £1,040 |
| Canning Town & Royal Docks | East | £922 (774) | £1,844 (97) | £922 |
| Catford & Forest Hill | South | £870 (432) | £1,250 (88) | £380 |
| Chelsea & Earl's Court | West | £1,300 (183) | £2,167 (509) | £867 |
| Chiswick | West | £1,000 (118) | £1,375 (57) | £375 |
| Clapham | South | £1,096 (440) | £1,400 (30) | £304 |
| Clapham Junction & Northcote | South | £1,119 (190) | £1,735 (112) | £616 |
| Clerkenwell & Farringdon | Central | £1,248 (192) | £2,167 (41) | £919 |
| Crouch End & Muswell Hill | North | £900 (276) | £1,300 (123) | £400 |
| Croydon & Addiscombe | South | £800 (608) | £1,200 (476) | £400 |
| Dalston & London Fields | East | £1,040 (276) | £1,600 (37) | £560 |
| Deptford & New Cross | South | £953 (411) | £1,350 (119) | £397 |
| Ealing & Hanwell | West | £946 (877) | £1,450 (375) | £504 |
| Edmonton & Ponders End | North | £800 (253) | £1,150 (81) | £350 |
| Elephant & Castle & Walworth | South | £1,000 (460) | £1,772 (62) | £772 |
| Enfield & Southgate | North | £840 (290) | £1,225 (101) | £385 |
| Finchley & Golders Green | North | £870 (467) | £1,400 (341) | £530 |
| Finsbury Park & Tollington | North | £950 (173) | £1,408 (51) | £458 |
| Fulham | West | £1,100 (457) | £1,602 (124) | £502 |
| Greenwich & Charlton | South | £950 (521) | £1,395 (93) | £445 |
| Hackney Central & Homerton | East | £950 (492) | £1,300 (60) | £350 |
| Hammersmith & Brook Green | West | £1,000 (422) | £1,600 (448) | £600 |
| Hampstead & Belsize Park | North | £1,170 (93) | £1,700 (188) | £530 |
| Harlesden & Kensal Green | North | £850 (450) | £1,300 (104) | £450 |
| Harringay & Seven Sisters | North | £850 (416) | £1,300 (119) | £450 |
| Harrow & Stanmore | West | £895 (226) | £1,325 (470) | £430 |
| Hendon, Colindale & Mill Hill | North | £890 (517) | £1,915 (454) | £1,025 |
| Herne Hill & Tulse Hill | South | £900 (300) | £1,200 (47) | £300 |
| Highbury & Canonbury | North | £1,100 (280) | £1,445 (78) | £345 |
| Holloway & Tufnell Park | North | £953 (316) | £1,400 (95) | £447 |
| Hounslow, Feltham & Heston | West | £800 (225) | £1,200 (236) | £400 |
| Ilford, Barkingside & Goodmayes | East | £850 (130) | £1,000 (70) | £150 |
| Islington & Angel | North | £1,190 (357) | £1,700 (102) | £510 |
| Kennington, Oval & Vauxhall | South | £985 (264) | £2,550 (78) | £1,565 |
| Kensington & Holland Park | West | £1,382 (156) | £2,000 (611) | £618 |
| Kentish Town & Gospel Oak | North | £1,022 (168) | £1,500 (43) | £478 |
| Kilburn & Willesden | North | £900 (1,194) | £1,400 (627) | £500 |
| Kingston & Norbiton | South | £941 (128) | £1,561 (180) | £620 |
| Leyton & Leytonstone | East | £850 (415) | £1,250 (49) | £400 |
| Maida Vale & St John's Wood | West | £1,148 (188) | £1,700 (46) | £552 |
| Marylebone & Fitzrovia | Central | £1,400 (200) | £2,232 (229) | £832 |
| Mayfair & St James's | Central | £1,400 (46) | £2,500 (64) | £1,100 |
| Mitcham & Morden | South | £900 (598) | £1,250 (128) | £350 |
| Notting Hill & Ladbroke Grove | West | £995 (187) | £1,550 (144) | £555 |
| Paddington & Bayswater | West | £1,257 (420) | £1,790 (438) | £533 |
| Peckham & Nunhead | South | £950 (293) | £1,300 (37) | £350 |
| Pimlico & Victoria | Central | £1,200 (154) | £1,750 (176) | £550 |
| Putney & Roehampton | South | £850 (520) | £1,565 (30) | £715 |
| Queen's Park & Harrow Road | West | £1,050 (265) | £1,400 (31) | £350 |
| Richmond & Kew | West | £898 (48) | £1,500 (32) | £602 |
| Shepherd's Bush & White City | West | £941 (327) | £1,668 (85) | £727 |
| Shoreditch & Hoxton | East | £1,126 (558) | £1,942 (46) | £816 |
| Soho & Covent Garden | Central | £1,452 (131) | £2,817 (282) | £1,365 |
| Southall, Greenford & Northolt | West | £900 (184) | £1,455 (216) | £555 |
| Stockwell | South | £978 (316) | £1,500 (64) | £522 |
| Stoke Newington & Clissold | North | £950 (322) | £1,400 (103) | £450 |
| Stratford & Olympic Park | East | £925 (592) | £2,342 (134) | £1,417 |
| Streatham | South | £900 (459) | £1,300 (62) | £400 |
| Surbiton, Tolworth & New Malden | South | £995 (45) | £1,150 (34) | £155 |
| Sutton & Carshalton | South | £850 (79) | £1,100 (69) | £250 |
| Tottenham | North | £830 (820) | £1,500 (225) | £670 |
| Twickenham & Teddington | West | £994 (36) | £1,350 (49) | £356 |
| Uxbridge, Hayes & Ruislip | West | £800 (286) | £1,250 (283) | £450 |
| Walthamstow | East | £850 (421) | £2,160 (249) | £1,310 |
| Wandsworth Town & Earlsfield | South | £1,000 (498) | £1,600 (223) | £600 |
| Wanstead, Woodford & Snaresbrook | East | £862 (140) | £1,258 (30) | £396 |
| Wapping & Limehouse | East | £1,066 (186) | £1,820 (35) | £754 |
| Wembley | North | £850 (476) | £1,650 (490) | £800 |
| West Hampstead & Kilburn | North | £1,062 (291) | £1,500 (253) | £438 |
| Whitechapel & Stepney | East | £1,000 (1,168) | £1,700 (327) | £700 |
| Wimbledon | South | £888 (285) | £1,375 (58) | £487 |
| Woolwich & Plumstead | South | £800 (505) | £1,725 (46) | £925 |
Ads first seen 15 July 2026 to 12 October 2026 (90 days). Asking rents in pounds per calendar month (pcm). One ad per property record.
- In 7 of the 87 areas, the median room asked less than half the median studio.
- In 40 of the 87, the median room asked more than two thirds of the median studio.
- The widest gap was in Battersea & Nine Elms: £1,100 for a room against £2,880 for a studio (615 and 201 ads), a gap of £1,780. The room asked 38.2% of the studio. Next came Kennington, Oval & Vauxhall (£1,565), Bermondsey & Rotherhithe (£1,471) and Stratford & Olympic Park (£1,417).
- The narrowest gaps were in Ilford, Barkingside & Goodmayes (£850 room, £1,000 studio; 130 and 70 ads; gap £150) and Surbiton, Tolworth & New Malden (£995 room, £1,150 studio; 45 and 34 ads; gap £155).
Some areas with a small gap have few studio ads, so one block of flats can move the median. The ad counts are in the chart and the table.
What London room ads say about bills, landlords, room size and zone
Median room ask by what the ad says
| What the ad says | Median | Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Bills included | £932 pcm | 17,299 (69.6%) |
| Some bills included | £996 pcm | 2,321 (9.3%) |
| Bills not included | £1,000 pcm | 5,232 (21.1%) |
| Letting agent | £953 pcm | 8,353 (36%) |
| Current flatmate | £970 pcm | 5,640 (24.3%) |
| Landlord who lives there | £900 pcm | 4,093 (17.6%) |
| Landlord who lives elsewhere | £925 pcm | 3,434 (14.8%) |
| Outgoing flatmate | £1,000 pcm | 1,649 (7.1%) |
| Double room | £980 pcm | 18,063 |
| Single room | £758 pcm | 2,049 |
| Zone 1 | £1,200 pcm | 1,901 |
| Zone 2 | £997 pcm | 7,226 |
| Zone 3 | £869 pcm | 3,945 |
| Zone 4 | £850 pcm | 1,084 |
Only room ads with a structured bills field: 24,852 of 34,651 (71.7%). Shares are of those 24,852. Only room ads that say who placed them: 23,210 of 34,651. Shares are of those 23,210. Only ads that offer exactly one single room or one double room. Only room ads that name the travel zone of the nearest station: 14,185 of 34,651 (40.9%). Zone 5 has too few ads to show. Studio ads do not carry this field.
Bills. 24,852 of the 34,651 room ads (71.7%) have a structured field for bills. Of those:
- 69.6% (17,299) say bills are included, median £932 pcm.
- 9.3% (2,321) say some bills are included, median £996 pcm.
- 21.1% (5,232) say bills are not included, median £1,000 pcm.
None of the 14,648 studio ads have a structured bills field. When you compare a room with a studio, check what each price covers. Our guide to the total monthly cost of renting in London lists the bills to count: council tax, energy, water and broadband.
Who placed the ad. 23,210 room ads say who placed them:
- a letting agent: 36.0%, median £953
- a current flatmate: 24.3%, median £970
- a landlord who lives in the home: 17.6%, median £900
- a landlord who lives elsewhere: 14.8%, median £925
- an outgoing flatmate: 7.1%, median £1,000
This matters for your rights more than for the price. If the landlord lives in the home and you share a kitchen or bathroom with them, you are usually a lodger, with fewer protections than a tenant. Our London flatshare guide explains the difference.
Single or double. Ads for one single room had a median of £758 pcm (2,049 ads). Ads for one double room had a median of £980 pcm (18,063 ads).
Travel zone. 14,185 room ads (40.9%) name the travel zone of the nearest station. Of those, the median room asked £1,200 pcm in zone 1 (1,901 ads), £997 in zone 2 (7,226), £869 in zone 3 (3,945) and £850 in zone 4 (1,084). Studio ads do not carry this field, so we cannot compare studios by zone.
Costs to add when you compare a room with a studio
- Council tax. GOV.UK says you get 25% off your council tax bill if you live on your own. Check with the council and the landlord who pays council tax for a room.
- Bills not in the rent. Most room ads in our data include bills. For a studio, add energy, water and broadband yourself.
- Space and privacy. A room means a shared kitchen and often a shared bathroom. A studio is a whole home for one or two people.
- Deposit and upfront rent. These scale with the rent. A cap of 5 weeks' rent applies to most tenancies under £50,000 a year. See our London deposit and tenant fees guide.
How we measured London room and studio rents
- Data: London rental ads RentReboot collected from property portals, letting agents' own websites, landlord-direct sites, classified boards and flatshare sites, first seen from 15 July to 12 October 2026 (90 days). We do not name or count individual listing sites.
- One ad per property: for each property record we keep the latest ad in the window. London property records do not always join the same home across sites, so a home posted on two sites can count twice. When we instead count each distinct ad text, rent and area once, the medians are £950 for rooms (33,121 adverts), £1,517 for studios (11,111) and £2,000 for one-bedroom flats (47,115).
- Kinds of home: a room is an ad marked as a room in a shared home. A studio is a whole home with 0 bedrooms; this can include some bedsits. A one-bedroom flat is a whole home with 1 bedroom.
- Prices: asking rent in pounds per calendar month. Weekly prices are converted at 52 weeks ÷ 12 months. We keep asks from £300 to £30,000 pcm, the same range as our London average rent pages.
- Areas: each ad's ward is mapped to one of our 100 London neighbourhoods and five regions. A neighbourhood median needs at least 30 ads of that kind.
- Fields: bills, who placed the ad, single or double, and travel zone come from structured fields that only some room ads carry. Each share above uses only the ads with that field.
The queries and results are in our code repository under scripts/analysis/london-room-vs-studio-2026.
London room rent FAQ
How much does a room in London cost in 2026?
In ads RentReboot first saw from 15 July to 12 October 2026, the median room in a shared London home asked £950 pcm (34,651 ads). The middle half of asks ran from £800 to £1,150 pcm. A single room had a median of £758 and a double room £980.
What is a good price for a room in London?
In ads first seen 15 July to 12 October 2026, the median London room asked £950 pcm (34,651 ads). The middle half of asks ran from £800 to £1,150 pcm, and 39.8% of room ads asked under £900. A room under £800 was in the cheapest quarter of ads. Check which bills the price includes.
How much is a double room in London?
Ads for one double room had a median asking rent of £980 pcm (18,063 ads). Ads for one single room had a median of £758 pcm (2,049 ads). These counts cover only ads that offer one room and state its size, first seen 15 July to 12 October 2026.
Is a room cheaper in zone 3 than in zone 2?
In the 14,185 room ads that name the zone of the nearest station, the median room asked £997 pcm in zone 2 (7,226 ads) and £869 pcm in zone 3 (3,945 ads), £128 less. Zone 1 rooms had a median of £1,200 (1,901 ads) and zone 4 rooms £850 (1,084 ads).
How much does a studio flat in London cost?
The median studio asked £1,590 pcm across 14,648 ads in the same window. The middle half ran from £1,300 to £2,000 pcm. In Central London the median studio asked £2,200.
How much do I save by renting a room instead of a studio in London?
At the London medians the gap is £640 a month, or £7,680 a year, before bills. Most room ads with a bills field say bills are included, so the gap after bills can be larger. In the 87 neighbourhoods we could compare, the median gap was £510 a month, from £150 to £1,780.
Are bills included in London room rents?
Often, but not always. Of 24,852 room ads with a structured bills field, 69.6% said all bills are included, 9.3% said some are, and 21.1% said none are. Get the inclusions in writing before you pay a holding deposit.
Is a room in a flatshare a tenancy?
It depends on who the landlord is. If the landlord lives in the home and you share facilities with them, you are usually a lodger. If the landlord lives elsewhere, you are usually a tenant. 17.6% of the room ads that say who placed them came from a landlord who lives in the home. Read our London flatshare guide before you sign.
Get alerts for London rooms and flats
RentReboot watches London portals, letting agents' sites, landlord-direct listings and flatshare sites, and emails you new listings that match your budget and neighbourhoods. We try to filter out likely scams, but always view the home and check the agreement before you pay. Set up London rental alerts.