Cambridge rents 'slow' but are still soaring past growth in city wages

RENT price inflation in Cambridge has fallen below 6 per cent for the first time in over two years, but prices still continue to grow faster than wages.

- By DAVID DUBAS-FISHER

Average private rents in Cambridge increased by £88 a month to £1,773 in the 12 months to August, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The increase works out at an extra 5.2 per cent that people are having to find, as a housing charity warns that soaring rents could push people into homelessness.

Separate figures from the ONS showed that annual growth in employees’ average earnings across the UK was 4.8 per cent in July, meaning wages are failing to keep up with rent increases.

Rent inflation in the city has been slowing down since it peaked at 9.2 per cent in November 2024. Despite this though, private rents in Cambridge have grown three times as fast in the last five years as they did in the previous five.

They increased by £136 a month between August 2015 and August 2020, compared to an increase of £403 between August 2020 and August 2025.