- Flatsharing used to be concentrated on city centres; now priced-out flatmates are looking for cheaper shared accommodation further out.
- The average rent in Manchester has increased 44% in six years.
- Renter searches for 'Manchester City Centre' and 'Manchester' are down as searches for Oldham, Cheadle, Leyland, and the postcodes BL1 and M23 have increased substantially.
Flatsharing is the cheapest way to rent but, after years of rent rises, not even flatmates are immune to financial pressures, which is fuelling increased interest in areas surrounding central Manchester. That's according to an analysis of more than 241 million area search terms input by those landing on flatshare site SpareRoom in 2025 compared to the previous year.
The average room rent in Manchester is now £683 per month, based on Q1 2026 rental index data. As shown in the chart below, that's below the record high of £717 per month reached at the end of 2024, but still significantly higher than before the pandemic caused chaos in the rental market. Back in Q1 2020, the average rent was £475 per month.
Inflated rents, coupled with the heightened cost of living, are forcing flatsharers out of the city. Renter searches for 'Manchester City Centre' and 'Manchester' have decreased 24% and 12% respectively in the year to 2025. Renter searches for 'Oldham' and 'BL1' - the postcode covering Bolton town centre, Halliwell, Heaton, and Smithills - have risen by around two thirds.
Searches for 'Cheadle' have increased by 53% while searches for 'M23', the postcode covering suburban Brooklands and Baguley, have risen 49%. 'Leyland' searches are up 43%; the Lancashire town is around 45 minutes from Manchester by train. Buckshaw Village-adjacent, new housing stock is still being built here, and it's popular with commuters travelling to both Manchester and Preston.
The table below shows the five area searches within commuting distance of central Manchester that have seen searches by renters increase more than 50%:
| Area search term input by renters | Area description | % change in searches 2025 vs 2024 | Average monthly room rent Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oldham | Greater Manchester town 7 miles northeast of city centre | 67.5% | £565 |
| BL1 | Postcode district covering Bolton town centre, Halliwell, Heaton, and Smithills in Greater Manchester | 67.1% | £572 |
| Cheadle | Suburban village in Borough of Stockport | 52.8% | £673 |
| M23 | Postcode district covering suburban areas of Brooklands and Baguley | 48.6% | £661 |
| Leyland | Historic town in Lancashire, situated south of Preston | 42.7% | £603 (PR25) |
Matt Hutchinson, director of flatshare site SpareRoom, comments: "Rents in Manchester aren't rising at the pace we've seen in recent years, but that doesn't mean they're affordable. As a result, we're seeing flatsharing spread into areas within easy or reasonable reach of the city centre. When finances are stretched from multiple directions, people have to be resourceful and that might mean exploring new neighbourhoods. Hybrid and remote working helps of course, but it's still worth considering the higher cost of a longer commute against any savings on rent.”