Average Rent, House Prices and Buy-to-Let Yield in Southampton (July 2026)
The average private rent in Southampton is £1,255 a month (ONS, July 2026) and the average house price £235,362 (HM Land Registry, June 2026): a gross yield of 6.4%, ranked 5 of 316 local authorities.
Rent in Southampton
The average private rent across all property types is £1,255 a month (+3.1% on a year earlier). The regional median in the South East is £1,355.
| Property | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £879 | £10,548 a year |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,112 | £13,344 a year |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,354 | £16,248 a year |
| 4+ bedrooms | £1,887 | £22,644 a year |
The bedroom ladder in Southampton: one to two bedrooms adds 26.5% to the rent, two to three adds 21.8% and three to four-plus adds 39.4% (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 Southampton
The average price paid is £235,362 (+0.1% on a year earlier).
| Type | Average price |
|---|---|
| Detached | £417,191 |
| Semi-detached | £312,913 |
| Terraced | £251,021 |
| Flat | £152,674 |
Rents are outrunning prices in Southampton. Rents moved +3.1% over the year against +0.1% for prices — a gap of 3 points that lifts the gross yield a buyer sees today. Southampton ranks 206th of 316 local authorities for rent growth and 252nd of 316 for price growth; the England-and-Wales medians are +3.8% and +2.8%.
Gross yield by property type in Southampton
| Type | Rent / month | Average price | Gross yield | E&W median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | £1,112 | £152,674 | 8.7% | 7.5% |
| Terraced house | £1,354 | £251,021 | 6.5% | 5.7% |
| Semi-detached | £1,354 | £312,913 | 5.2% | 4.6% |
| Detached | £1,887 | £417,191 | 5.4% | 4.1% |
On these pairings the strongest gross yield in Southampton is on flats at 8.7%, against an England-and-Wales median of 7.5% for that type; the weakest is semi-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 6.4% (rent × 12 ÷ price) — rank 5 of 316 local authorities; the regional median is 4.3%. Net yield is lower once mortgage interest, insurance, maintenance and voids come off.
- Tenant affordability: referencing at 30× means a household income of about £37,650 a year for the average rent.
- EPC before 2030: 37% of EPCs lodged in Southampton over the last year were below band C — the level a rented home needs by 1 October 2030 — with 31% at D (EPC ratings in Southampton).
- Council tax: Band D in Southampton is £2,381 for 2026/27, and the council charges a 100% second-home premium (council tax in Southampton).
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 £1,255 supports a loan of about £188,840, which is 80.2% of the average price. That clears a 75% loan-to-value purchase on the rent alone. Both numbers are conventions rather than rules — change them in the stress test.
Run the numbers for Southampton
- Yield calculator with £235,362 and £1,255 already filled in
- Mortgage stress test at 75% LTV on the average price
- Rent affordability: the income a tenant needs to reference at £1,255 a month
- Rental income tax on £15,060 a year of rent
Nearest neighbours by yield, in the South East
| Area | Rent | Price | Yield | Rent 12m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | £1,367 | £250,999 | 6.5% | +2.2% |
| Gosport | £1,165 | £235,188 | 5.9% | +5.8% |
| Eastbourne | £1,166 | £251,811 | 5.6% | +0.7% |
| Dartford | £1,570 | £351,594 | 5.4% | +3% |
| Slough | £1,569 | £352,024 | 5.3% | +2.4% |
| Brighton and Hove | £1,809 | £407,803 | 5.3% | −1.1% |
All 316 areas ranked · council tax in Southampton · EPC ratings in Southampton.
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
£1,255 a month across all property types (ONS Price Index of Private Rents, July 2026), up 3.1% on a year earlier.
£235,362 (HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, June 2026).
About 6.4% gross on the averages — £1,255 rent against a £235,362 price — ranking 5 of 316 local authorities. Net yield depends on your mortgage and costs.
Flats on our pairing: 8.7% gross (£1,112 rent on a £152,674 price), against an England-and-Wales median of 7.5% for that type.
Rents +3.1% against prices +0.1% over the year — rents ahead, so yield is rising for a buyer today.
Referencing at 30 times the monthly rent points to roughly £37,650 a year of household income for the average home; the affordability calculator shows 24× and 36× too.