'Finest county': The cheapest places to rent in Northern Ireland, which are also among UK's happiest

The average monthly rent across Northern Ireland during the three months ending in September 2025 was £987, having risen by 6.1% in the last year, according to the latest figures from PropertyPal.

Belfast is unsurprisingly the most expensive place in which to live, with an average monthly rent of £1,153, following a 6.0% annual rise.

According to the results of the latest national well-being survey, published by the Office for National Statistics, Belfast residents are only 327nd happiest out of 363 local authorities for which data is available.

Perhaps that’s because they’re paying so much rent, although people living in Lisburn and Castlereagh are the 52nd happiest in the UK, despite paying the second highest average monthly rent in Northern Ireland, of £1,001.

Northern Ireland’s happiest place, and the 10th happiest in the whole UK, is Mid Ulster, which has Northern Ireland’s second cheapest rents.

The cheapest place in Northern Ireland in which to rent is Fermanagh and Omagh, which in 2015 was named the UK’s happiest place, and is currently ranked 41st.

One person called Fermanagh ‘probably the finest county in Ulster’, with ‘excellent’ schools, friendly people, ‘lovely’ countryside and a great selection of pubs, cafes and restaurants, plus some ‘stunning’ beaches within easy reach. However, they pointed out that there is ‘limited’ public transport.

As for Omagh, another person called the town a ‘vibrant’ place, with ‘lovely’ bars and restaurants, and a ‘great’ music scene.

Below are the latest average rents across Northern Ireland, listed from most expensive to cheapest.

If you’re planning to buy a home in Northern Ireland, you might be interested in this article looking at the places where house prices have risen fastest in the last five years.