THE Borders is the third cheapest place to rent a home in Scotland, new research has revealed.

The research conducted by BLG Development Finance used rent index data from the Office for National Statistics to find the average rent prices for each month of 2024 so far.

Coming in at the number one cheapest place to rent according to the data is Dumfries and Galloway, with renters in this council area found to pay £475 per month on average for property.

Following behind in second place are East, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. In these areas, the experts estimate that rent costs an average of £588 each month.

Next up is the Borders, where renters can expect to pay £657 monthly according to BLG Development Finance and Online Marketing Surgery.

On the other hand, Lothian was found to be the area of Scotland with the most expensive average rent prices. The region, which is home to Scotland’s capital of Edinburgh, has an average rent of £1,312 per month.

Following behind is Scotland’s other major city, with Greater Glasgow coming in second place. Rent prices in the country’s biggest city were found to be £1,190 on average per month.

Scottish Borders Council declared a housing emergency earlier this year because of the shortage of affordable housing across the region.