Average Rent, House Prices and Buy-to-Let Yield in Exeter (July 2026)
The average private rent in Exeter is £1,320 a month (ONS, July 2026) and the average house price £280,982 (HM Land Registry, June 2026): a gross yield of 5.6%, ranked 22 of 316 local authorities.
Rent in Exeter
The average private rent across all property types is £1,320 a month (+1.3% on a year earlier). The regional median in the South West is £1,046.
| Property | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £917 | £11,004 a year |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,133 | £13,596 a year |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,364 | £16,368 a year |
| 4+ bedrooms | £1,922 | £23,064 a year |
The bedroom ladder in Exeter: one to two bedrooms adds 23.6% to the rent, two to three adds 20.4% and three to four-plus adds 40.9% (England-and-Wales medians 27.3%, 20.9% and 40.9%). The biggest step here is three to four or more bedrooms — the size where an extra room earns most, and the first place to look when comparing a conversion against its cost.
House prices in Exeter
The average price paid is £280,982 (-1.7% on a year earlier).
| Type | Average price |
|---|---|
| Detached | £515,379 |
| Semi-detached | £343,252 |
| Terraced | £280,798 |
| Flat | £164,582 |
Rents are outrunning prices in Exeter. Rents moved +1.3% over the year against −1.7% for prices — a gap of 3 points that lifts the gross yield a buyer sees today. Exeter ranks 284th of 316 local authorities for rent growth and 286th of 316 for price growth; the England-and-Wales medians are +3.8% and +2.8%.
Gross yield by property type in Exeter
| Type | Rent / month | Average price | Gross yield | E&W median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | £1,133 | £164,582 | 8.3% | 7.5% |
| Terraced house | £1,364 | £280,798 | 5.8% | 5.7% |
| Semi-detached | £1,364 | £343,252 | 4.8% | 4.6% |
| Detached | £1,922 | £515,379 | 4.5% | 4.1% |
On these pairings the strongest gross yield in Exeter is on flats at 8.3%, against an England-and-Wales median of 7.5% for that type; the weakest is detached. Gross figures ignore service charges, which usually make flats the thinnest net yield of the four.
What that means for a landlord
- Gross yield 5.6% (rent × 12 ÷ price) — rank 22 of 316 local authorities; the regional median is 4.1%. Net yield is lower once mortgage interest, insurance, maintenance and voids come off.
- Tenant affordability: referencing at 30× means a household income of about £39,600 a year for the average rent.
- EPC before 2030: 33% of EPCs lodged in Exeter over the last year were below band C — the level a rented home needs by 1 October 2030 — with 28% at D (EPC ratings in Exeter).
- Council tax: Band D in Exeter is £2,495 for 2026/27, and the council charges a 100% second-home premium (council tax in Exeter).
Lender maths on the averages. At a 5.5% stress rate and 145% rent cover — the common buy-to-let convention — the average rent of £1,320 supports a loan of about £198,621, which is 70.7% of the average price. That falls short of 75% loan-to-value, so a buyer of an average home here needs a larger deposit or a stronger rent to pass the stress test. Both numbers are conventions rather than rules — change them in the stress test.
Run the numbers for Exeter
- Yield calculator with £280,982 and £1,320 already filled in
- Mortgage stress test at 75% LTV on the average price
- Rent affordability: the income a tenant needs to reference at £1,320 a month
- Rental income tax on £15,840 a year of rent
Nearest neighbours by yield, in the South West
| Area | Rent | Price | Yield | Rent 12m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | £1,880 | £356,824 | 6.3% | +6.5% |
| Bath and North East Somerset | £1,881 | £404,480 | 5.6% | +7.4% |
| Gloucester | £1,112 | £240,887 | 5.5% | +7.4% |
| Plymouth | £1,001 | £222,817 | 5.4% | +5.2% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | £1,399 | £312,162 | 5.4% | +3% |
| South Gloucestershire | £1,456 | £340,300 | 5.1% | +4.5% |
All 316 areas ranked · council tax in Exeter · EPC ratings in Exeter.
Rents: ONS, Price Index of Private Rents (average monthly private rent by local authority, July 2026). Prices: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index (average price, June 2026). Gross yield = rent × 12 ÷ price, our calculation. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Rankings and medians are ours, across 316 local authorities.
Asked about this area
£1,320 a month across all property types (ONS Price Index of Private Rents, July 2026), up 1.3% on a year earlier.
£280,982 (HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, June 2026).
About 5.6% gross on the averages — £1,320 rent against a £280,982 price — ranking 22 of 316 local authorities. Net yield depends on your mortgage and costs.
Flats on our pairing: 8.3% gross (£1,133 rent on a £164,582 price), against an England-and-Wales median of 7.5% for that type.
Rents +1.3% against prices −1.7% over the year — rents ahead, so yield is rising for a buyer today.
Referencing at 30 times the monthly rent points to roughly £39,600 a year of household income for the average home; the affordability calculator shows 24× and 36× too.
Postcode districts in Exeter
Council tax bands, sold prices and build periods for each district — all EX postcodes.