Average Rent in Merton 2026
The average monthly private rent in Merton is £2,172 as of August 2026, +5.4% on a year earlier. That is £160 a month below the London average of £2,332.
Merton is the 20th cheapest of London’s 32 boroughs with published data. Updated 2026-09-18.
What that costs relative to local pay
A home of any size in Merton against what people living in Merton actually earn.
How to read this. Earnings are gross — before tax and National Insurance — so the share of take-home pay is materially higher. The earnings figure is for 2024, the latest year GLA London Datastore publishes, while the rent figure is current; pay has risen since, so the true present-day ratio is somewhat lower than shown. Both are medians for people living in the area, not for jobs located there.
Merton rent by bedroom count
Merton rent by property type
| Property type | Average monthly rent |
|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £1,931 |
| Terraced house | £2,462 |
| Semi-detached house | £2,967 |
| Detached house | £2,921 |
How Merton rent has changed
View the year-by-year figures as a table
| Year | Average monthly rent |
|---|---|
| 2015 | £1,525 |
| 2016 | £1,567 |
| 2017 | £1,546 |
| 2018 | £1,557 |
| 2019 | £1,573 |
| 2020 | £1,636 |
| 2021 | £1,627 |
| 2022 | £1,748 |
| 2023 | £1,809 |
| 2024 | £2,007 |
| 2025 | £2,080 |
| 2026 | £2,172 |
Boroughs priced near Merton
Common questions
What is the average rent in Merton?
The average monthly private rent in Merton is £2,172 as of August 2026, according to the ONS Price Index of Private Rents. That is +5.4% compared with a year earlier.
Is Merton cheaper than the London average?
Yes. Merton is £160 a month cheaper than the London average of £2,332, making it the 20th cheapest of London's 32 boroughs (August 2026).
Is rent in Merton affordable on a local salary?
Average rent in Merton is £2,172 a month against median gross full-time pay of £3,797 for people living there, so rent takes 57.2% of gross earnings. The commonly used guideline is 30%. Earnings are before tax and are for 2024.
How much is a one-bedroom flat in Merton?
A one-bedroom property in Merton rents for an average of £1,639 per month, and a two-bedroom for £2,024 (August 2026, ONS).
How much has rent risen in Merton?
Average rent in Merton has gone from £1,635 to £2,172 since 2021 — up £537 a month, or 32.8%.
Rentals available in Merton
See what is actually available in Merton right now, listed directly by landlords with no agency fees.
Earnings data: GLA London Datastore — Earnings by Place of Residence, Borough (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings). Median gross full-time weekly pay, by place of residence, 2024. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.