![\"Mature](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2028170106.jpg\")
\n\t\tRenting alone is nothing but a fever dream for most (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tRenting alone is nothing but a fever dream for most (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Living in a flat alone<\/a> in the big city is one of the requirements of our most beloved movie characters.<\/p>\n Just look at our beloved Bridget Jones<\/a>, who lived in her one-bed Borough Market<\/a> flat (which would now cost more than \u00a32,000 per month to rent<\/a>), or Carrie Bradshaw<\/a> in her iconic Upper East Side apartment.<\/p>\n But the concept of renting solo in 2026 feels like as much of a work of fiction, as our favourite films and TV shows.<\/p>\n With ever-increasing rental prices<\/a>, the salary you need to earn to live without flatmates is pretty astronomical.<\/p>\n The Economist recently crunched the numbers in their aptly named annual \u2018Carrie Bradshaw Index\u2019, which assesses how easy it is to do so in European cities.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tReady to start your homebuying journey?\t\t\t<\/p>\n You can access completely fee-free mortgage advice with London & Country (L&C) Mortgages, a partner of Metro. Customers benefit from:<\/p>\n \u2013 Award winning service from the UK\u2019s leading mortgage broker<\/p>\n \u2013 Expert advisors on hand 7 days a week<\/p>\n \u2013 Access to 1000s of mortgage deals from across the market<\/p>\n Unlike many mortgage brokers, L&C won\u2019t charge you a fee for their advice.<\/p>\n Find out how much you could borrow online<\/a><\/p>\n Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.<\/p>\n Londoners, strap in for a rather nasty reality check\u2026<\/p>\n The salary you need to rent alone in London<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking to rent a one-bedroom apartment<\/a> on your own in the capital, you\u2019ll need a salary of \u00a381,800 \u2014 that\u2019s about \u00a350,000 more a year than the estimated UK average salary of \u00a330,660 (ONS<\/a>).<\/p>\n This figure is based off the rule of thumb that you shouldn\u2019t spend more than 30% of your income on rent.<\/p>\n \t\t The average one-bedroom flat in London<\/a> costs \u00a32,000 per month, according to the European Commission\u2019s statistics agency, Eurostat.<\/p>\n Currently, this means that residents in the capital who earn the average London salary of \u00a355,530, based on the Economic Research Institute\u2019s figures, would still have to fork out 44% of their income on rent.<\/p>\n All this means London is deemed \u2018unaffordable\u2019 to live in as a lone renter, and makes it the ninth most unaffordable city to live in across Europe.<\/p>\n Shock, Brits are spending more than we should<\/p>\n According to the 2025 UK Rental Affordability Index<\/a>, Brits are expected to spend 50% of their take-home pay on \u2018needs\u2019. This includes rent, utilities, food, travel, childcare, insurance and debt payments.<\/p>\n But this is pretty impossible for those of us living in the UK, with the average renter now spending 41% of their take-home pay on rent alone last year.<\/p>\n It\u2019s of no surprise that the index found London tenants actually spend 48% of their take-home pay cheque on rent, although following closely behind is South East renters who spend 44% of their salary.<\/p>\n In an even bleaker picture, 12 London boroughs<\/a> saw renters forking out more than half their earnings to afford their property, with the worst culprits being Enfield<\/a> and Barking and Dagenham<\/a>. Both of these boroughs saw tenants pay 55% of their earnings towards rent.<\/p>\n Where is affordable in Europe?<\/p>\n The most affordable city to rent in in Europe is Bonn, Germany<\/a>, which is the country\u2019s second city. Think gothic architecture, and its claim to fame as the birthplace of Beethoven.<\/p>\n It got an overall index score of 1.33 (anything above a score of one is affordable), compared to London\u2019s measly 0.68 score.<\/p>\n \t\t Lyon (France), Bern (Switzerland<\/a>), Brussels<\/a> (Belgium), Helsinki<\/a> (Finland), Vienna<\/a> (Austria), Luxembourg and Berlin (Germany), were the other European cities considered to be affordable.<\/p>\n For example, Berlin has an average salary of \u00a347,605 per year with an average monthly rent of \u00a31,168. This equates to 29% of your yearly salary going towards rent.<\/p>\n If you want affordable rent in the UK, the most affordable options as of 2025 were Durham, Doncaster, and Hull, where a resident will spend 32% of their average income on rent. It\u2019s still not technically \u2018affordable\u2019 but it\u2019s a best of the worst situation.<\/p>\n Charlotte Benson, customer operations manager at rental company Canopy, explains: \u2018Tenants are being stretched to the outer limits of rental affordability as financial strain continues, and in certain areas the situation is becoming even more severe.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, with high demand, limited supply, and stagnant wage growth, rental affordability has not improved in the past year, particularly in the southern and highly urban areas.\u2019<\/p>\n So, if living alone feels unachievable, just know that you certainly aren\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n This article was first published on February 2, 2026.<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share?<\/p>\n Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Teenage](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1479202338.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe concept of ever being able to live alone is becoming unattainable (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Cozy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2247261936.jpg\")
\n\t\tMost Londoners are spending 48% of their salary on rent (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: How a Met Police crackdown left sex workers fearing for their lives<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Cars surrounded with windows smashed after large crowd takes over London park<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: \u2018Our London market is being closed down for a Whole Foods \u2013 we\u2019re a victim of gentrification\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n