The UK is the most expensive country in Western Europe for flatsharers, according to Easyroommate.co.uk.

With flatmates paying £360 per month on average, UK flatsharers pay at least 5% more per month than their European counterparts, according to Easyroommate’s analysis of nearly 33,000 UK, French, Italian and Spanish rental properties.

The average rent in the UK is 56% higher than that in Spain, where the average room costs £230 per month a difference of £129 per month. France is the second most expensive country for renters with an average room rent of £342 per month, followed by Italy, where rents are £282 pcm, 22% cheaper than in the UK.

Jonathan Moore, director of Easyroommate.co.uk, said: “Flatsharers in the UK face much higher bills at the end of the month than their European counterparts. The combination of unaffordably high house prices with the ongoing lending crunch in the UK is leaving hundreds of thousands of frustrated buyers dependent on rental accommodation.