OXFORD has retained the title of the most expensive city to live in outside London, as rents continue to rise.

The average rent in Oxford is now £587 for a room, up six per cent compared with this time last year and £131 higher than the UK average.

The data, released today, comes from rental website SpareRoom’s latest UK Rental Index for the third quarter of 2017.

It shows UK rents, outside London, have increased by 14 per cent over the last three years.

London still claims the top spot with an average rent of £714, though the capital is showing a two per cent decrease year-on-year.

Meanwhile, rival university city Cambridge came in third with an average of £564, up four per cent from 2016.

The figures also revealed there is no escape from price hikes even for those outside England, with a five per cent increase in Wales and Scotland's biggest cities also seeing similar increases.

Edinburgh has also come out on top as the most searched for city where the 11 people are fighting for each available room.

SpareRoom director Matt Hutchinson said the trend showed no sign of slowing.

He said: “With the number of people fleeing London in search of cheaper housing at a five-year high, we’re going to see increased demand, and therefore increased rents, in the UK’s major cities for some time to come.

"Unless salaries start to keep pace with or even outstrip rent increases, we face a huge affordability squeeze especially for those on lower or middle incomes."