Cost of living · Northern Ireland

House prices and rent in Belfast

The published house price figures for Belfast and private rent for the Belfast rental market area, shown with the month they refer to and the body that published them. We have not estimated anything.

House prices cover May 2026 for the local authority area Belfast. Rent covers June 2026 for the Belfast rental market area.

The rent here covers a different area from the house prices. ONS does not publish private rents for Northern Ireland council areas, so the rent on this page is for the Belfast rental market area — ONS's closest match for Belfast. Its boundary does not follow the council's, so parts of Belfast fall in neighbouring rental market areas. The house price figures do cover Belfast. We label the rent as that area rather than pass it off as a figure for Belfast.
This covers more than the city itself. The house price figures below are published for the whole Belfast local authority area, which is larger than Belfast. Prices inside the city can sit well either side of this average. We show the area name rather than quietly relabelling the number as a city figure.

The figures

Every value below was published by an official body. We have not estimated, adjusted or filled in any of them.

Average house price£181,033May 2026 · HM Land Registry

What the average home in Belfast sold for.

Average monthly private rent£1,134June 2026 · Office for National Statistics

The average monthly private rent ONS publishes for the Belfast rental market area.

Covers the Belfast rental market area, ONS's closest match for Belfast. Its boundary does not follow the council's, so parts of Belfast fall in neighbouring rental market areas. ONS does not publish rent for Northern Ireland council areas. ONS bases Northern Ireland rents on advertised new lets and publishes them later than Great Britain (June 2026 here, against August 2026).

Change over the year+6.5%May 2026 · HM Land Registry

How that average has moved over the previous twelve months.

Change over the month+1.5%May 2026 · HM Land Registry

Month-to-month movement, which is noisy in smaller areas.

How that compares

  • Against the wider region: About 9% below the Northern Ireland average of £198,015.
  • Against the UK as a whole: About 33% below the UK average of £271,295.

Each comparison is our own arithmetic on two published figures from the same release and the same month — not a separately published statistic.

A single monthly house price figure for one local authority moves around more than a regional or national one, because far fewer homes are sold into it. A large jump or fall in one month is more often a change in which properties happened to sell than a change in what any given home is worth.

For the regional figures and national context, see cost of living in Northern Ireland.

Every figure, with its source

FigureValuePeriodSource
Average house price£181,033May 2026UK House Price Index — full file (2026-05)
House price — change on the month+1.5%May 2026UK House Price Index — full file (2026-05)
House price — change on the year+6.5%May 2026UK House Price Index — full file (2026-05)
Average monthly private rent
Covers the Belfast rental market area, ONS's closest match for Belfast. Its boundary does not follow the council's, so parts of Belfast fall in neighbouring rental market areas. ONS does not publish rent for Northern Ireland council areas. ONS bases Northern Ireland rents on advertised new lets and publishes them later than Great Britain (June 2026 here, against August 2026).
£1,134June 2026Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Rent — 1 bedroom
Covers the Belfast rental market area, ONS's closest match for Belfast. Its boundary does not follow the council's, so parts of Belfast fall in neighbouring rental market areas. ONS does not publish rent for Northern Ireland council areas. ONS bases Northern Ireland rents on advertised new lets and publishes them later than Great Britain (June 2026 here, against August 2026).
£836June 2026Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Rent — 2 bedrooms
Covers the Belfast rental market area, ONS's closest match for Belfast. Its boundary does not follow the council's, so parts of Belfast fall in neighbouring rental market areas. ONS does not publish rent for Northern Ireland council areas. ONS bases Northern Ireland rents on advertised new lets and publishes them later than Great Britain (June 2026 here, against August 2026).
£962June 2026Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Rent — 3 bedrooms
Covers the Belfast rental market area, ONS's closest match for Belfast. Its boundary does not follow the council's, so parts of Belfast fall in neighbouring rental market areas. ONS does not publish rent for Northern Ireland council areas. ONS bases Northern Ireland rents on advertised new lets and publishes them later than Great Britain (June 2026 here, against August 2026).
£1,104June 2026Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Rent — 4 or more bedrooms
Covers the Belfast rental market area, ONS's closest match for Belfast. Its boundary does not follow the council's, so parts of Belfast fall in neighbouring rental market areas. ONS does not publish rent for Northern Ireland council areas. ONS bases Northern Ireland rents on advertised new lets and publishes them later than Great Britain (June 2026 here, against August 2026).
£1,590June 2026Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics

National context

Average UK house price (United Kingdom)£271,295May 2026 · HM Land Registry

What the average home sold for across the whole UK.

Average monthly private rent, England (England)£1,459August 2026 · Office for National Statistics

The typical monthly rent on a private tenancy in England.

Average band D council tax, England (England (2026-27 financial year))£2,3922026-27 financial year · Ministry of Housing

The average band D bill councils in England have set for the year. Your own bill depends on your band and your council.

Includes adult social care and parish precepts. Published per billing authority and by class of authority, not by region.

Sources

Reproduced as published, each figure labelled with the period it covers. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Important — this is general information, not financial advice. Figures and examples are illustrative and may go out of date. This is not a personal recommendation. For advice tailored to your situation, speak to an FCA-authorised adviser.