UK Office Space Price Guide

Market Summary

The flexible office market in the UK has grown steadily for a number of years with operators both old and new providing turnkey office space on flexible terms. As a major global center, it's no surprise that London provides the most Flex office space followed by Manchester and Birmingham.

UK Flexible Office Trends

The flexible office market in the UK is made of up a range of office types including coworking desks (shared & private), private spaces in a serviced office (with shared facilities), managed offices (a private space with private facilities) and subleased spaces. Since hitting a low of 4.6 million square feet in October 2022, available flex space has grown 77% to 8,081,038 sq ft as at September 2026.

While new serviced offices have contributed to this growth, the real driver has been managed offices: whole floors and buildings run by an operator for a single occupier. We have listed them as a type of their own since January 2026, and they already account for 2.8 million sq ft, a third of the flexible space on the platform, across 1,006 offices.

Despite the record supply, desk rates have held. With 8.1 million sq ft of flexible space available, UK businesses of all sizes have more options than ever to rent a space that meets their needs.

The median private office in the UK is £399 a desk a month, on live listings as at September 2026, across 8,675 offices. The chart above tracks how that has moved.

One thing to know when reading the chart: until the end of 2025 managed offices were counted with private offices, which put the blended median near £500. Since January 2026 they are counted separately, at a median of £899 a desk, and the private office line has run flat at around £400 all year. Nothing fell; the two products are now shown apart.

Office size moves the rate more reliably than any quarterly swing: a 1-4 person office runs at £365 a desk nationally against £546 for a 50+ desk floor.

The chart above shows the median office price /person /month of vacant flexible office space across the UK to September 2026. Source Rubberdesk real-time availability.

As businesses continue to tweak their hybrid work models to determine the optimal amount of space for their teams, the outlook for the Flex market is positive. As the name infers, it's the most flexible tool businesses have today to manage costs during these continued uncertain times. In our view, the demand for quality offices can be attributed to both greater affordability and businesses' need to be nimble in a changing market.

Not All Offices are Created Equal

When it comes to office space, there are many different factors that influence the price you pay. These factors range from the location of the office, quality, and standard of fit out of the building, and the amount of space needed for the way teams function and collaborate. As expected prices are higher in sought-after areas with premium addresses and high-quality fit-out.

If you’re looking for flexible office space for 100 people or less, there are thousands of turnkey private offices right across the United Kingdom in every major city and many small towns across all regions.

A key starting point for many businesses is budget and the Rubberdesk research team has compared the major locations to look at the median monthly office rate per person. Using the Rubberdesk platform and examining real-time availability and pricing we are able to bring together the most thorough comparison possible. Here is where businesses can compare the entire market from Central London to South London, and Manchester to Cardiff to Glasgow.

At a macro level, the median price of a desk across the UK is £399 in a private office and £270 for a hot desk in shared space.

While these prices and capacity give you a sense of the total market, it's important to break down each city to get a true sense of cost and availability in your region. As the chart below shows, Oxford is the most expensive regional city for private office space at £497 a desk, with Manchester at £389, Bristol, Birmingham at £375 and Cambridge close together behind it, and Leeds at £331. At the other end, Cardiff, Nottingham and Newcastle are the cheapest of the large cities at under £250 a desk. In London, Central London drives the overall price, and the sought-after pockets go well beyond it: Mayfair runs at £988 a desk. Outside London the regional cities sit at roughly half that, with Glasgow at £353, Bristol at £380 and Cardiff at £250.

The rest of the report drills down into the detail of the office spaces available and provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of Flexible Office space anywhere. We've analysed 8,081,038 sq ft of office space from 8,675 offices for rent across the UK on Rubberdesk with real-time availability and pricing. And because Rubberdesk has thousands of hosts listing their office space for rent, it’s the best place to compare the market.

So, here’s what we’ve looked at:

• Location, Location, Location
• Fixed vs Flexible Terms
• Monthly vs Yearly Terms
• Fully Managed vs Commercial Office Space
• Coworking vs Private Office
• Demand for Current Workspace Types
• How do you calculate the cost of office space?
• How much does a flexible office cost by office size?
• A Breakdown of Office Space by City
• Office Space Prices in Greater London
• Frequently Asked Questions

Location, Location, Location

For any type of office, whether in a converted warehouse or a premium office building, location often dictates the price. When we dive into the data, Central London is by far the most expensive area in the UK to rent office space, at a median of £685 a desk against roughly £425 in East and West London, with Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow far more economical at under £400. If budgets are tight as they are for many businesses, there are plenty of locations on the fringes of London to save thousands per month.

Fixed vs Flexible Terms

Up until 2008, most commercial rental agreements were conducted on a fixed yearly basis for 5 to 10 years forcing companies to lock into long-term arrangements that may or may not fit the growth plans for the business. If a business grew or shrunk, it was at the mercy of breaking a contract or lease re-assignment. The years since 2020 have shown how even the best-laid plans can go awry and in times of great uncertainty, short-term rental commitments are proving advantageous to businesses and Landlords alike.

With the explosion of the startup ecosystem and the coinciding growth of coworking and serviced offices, flexible terms became popular for many small businesses that didn’t have the budget to commit to long-term leases. Today, businesses of any size, from one to a hundred-plus staff have the option to sign more flexible agreements for a year at a time. This means that now, for the first time, the duration of tenancy commitment can match the certainty each business has about its plans and fit its immediate need with room to grow, resize or even relocate as required. For those businesses facing too much uncertainty and risk, there are even month-to-month agreements available for both coworking operators and traditional businesses who have spare office space to rent.

Monthly vs Yearly Terms

If you’re a big fan of flexible office space and flexible payment options, then you’ll have a few choices to consider. If you’re not sure where you’ll be in 6 months or a year then a month-to-month contract is ideal, though you’ll pay a premium of anywhere from 10-20% for the privilege. If you don’t mind making a longer-term commitment a year or longer then you can often negotiate a better deal than the rates shown. On a 12-month agreement, one to three months rent-free or 10 to 15 percent off the listed rate is common, so treat the rate you see as the one to negotiate from.

Fully Managed vs Commercial Office Space

As a business, you have a plethora of options available from fully-managed office operators such as Servcorp to WeWork, Regus (IWG), Mindspace, and UK owned Huckletree, LABS UK, and Bruntwood to name a few. From desks and chairs to printing and amenities such as showers and bike racks, these fully managed operators provide everything you need at a single monthly price with the option to add more desks or downsize the space as needed.

Commercial office space on the other hand generally requires a much longer commitment (often 3 or more years) and comes with extra costs such as furniture, electricity, IT, maintenance, and cleaning. In addition, a traditional lease often includes costs for space you never end up using such as the lobby.

It's fair to say that the comparison of Flexible Office Space to traditional Commercial Leases is like comparing apples and oranges. There are a number of differences between the two and each wins in its own regard. We'll save a comparison of the relative merits of each style for another time.

Coworking vs Private Office

Though many coworking operators have rates specifically for a single desk in an open plan space available, these are now under 2% of what is listed, 127 desks against 8,550 offices, and falling: there were 224 two years ago. Private and customised offices make up the vast majority of Flex space rented. These private offices typically share communal facilities such as meeting rooms, bathrooms, and kitchen areas but are self-contained and fully serviced.

When looking at office size, private spaces of fewer than 10 desks are 61% of the offices listed but only 22% of the floor space; two years ago they were 46% of the count and 12% of the space. Small offices have multiplied, and the floors have grown faster still, as space once let on long commercial leases has been turned into flexible floors on 1 to 3 year terms. This change gives larger businesses with 50 or more staff the opportunity to take advantage of flexible terms and rates that better fit their existing needs. As commercial landlords continue to adapt to the changing market, we expect too see a growing number of larger spaces enter the market.

Though larger offices for 50-plus people make up only 5% of the available offices, there are a number of large offices on offer for teams of 50-500 which account for 31% of all available floor space. Depending on where demand sits moving forward, these larger offices of course could be carved into smaller spaces as required emphasizing the flexibility of modern office space in this sector.

Demand for Current Workspace Types

Prior to the pandemic, flexible desks were a popular choice for many individuals looking for a place to work, though, they quickly lost favor as businesses and coworking operators reacted to the changing demand brought on by social distancing guidelines and the need for private spaces.

However, as pandemic restrictions ended, demand for different flexible workspace types began to evolve from shared offices spaces to private offices within a shared office to fully private offices in a standalone building.

As tenant demand for customised, private flexible solutions has grown, particularly from larger enterprises navigating economic uncertainty and ever changing hybrid work models, landlords have actively met this new demand. Facing reduced demand for traditional 5-10 year leases, property owners are increasingly adopting managed solutions to meet evolving occupier needs and maintain occupancy.

How do you Calculate the Cost of Office Space?

For traditional office leasing, rent is calculated based on the annualised price per square foot and multiplied by the size of the space to give a net annual rent. On top of the rent, there are also outgoings and land tax which must also be paid by the tenant. For a 1500 sq ft unit with a £75 net rent, the monthly rent for an office near Liverpool Street Station comes out to £9,375 per month (1500 x £75 / 12 + VAT), on top of which are outgoings for building management, electricity, Internet, etc, which are not always fixed.

By contrast, the flexible office space calculation is much simpler and typically based on the desk capacity of the office. If for example, each desk in a private office costs £625 per person, the cost for a 6-person office is simply £3,750 (£625 x 6 = £3,750 per month + VAT). Flexible office rental typically includes credits towards meeting rooms and printing facilities, but for heavy users of either, there are options to have these services included. Of course, in addition to the office space and desks comes access to common areas such as kitchens, meeting rooms, washrooms, and other amenities such as showers and even secure bike racks.

It’s important to note that traditional office rent does not cover the fit-out, desks, or any amenities you want to offer your staff. In addition, you may be paying for excess space that you don’t need. Whereas a flexible office space gives you the opportunity to only pay for what you need and numerous amenities that would otherwise not be economical or feasible in a small traditional office setting.

How Much Does Flexible Office Space Cost by Office Size?

The cost of office space varies by location, amenities, proximity to transport, terms, and economic factors. So when looking at the cost of office space it’s important to look regionally to get a better sense of what you might be paying in your location.

When it comes to the UK market, higher prices across greater London skew the national median price. Therefore it's important to break out pricing for London comparing it to other regions across the UK. As the chart below shows, Central London runs from £635 a desk for a 1-4 person office to £750 for a 50+ person office. The regional cities sit well below that: Birmingham runs from £370 to £400 across the same two sizes.

Typically, the cost of office space for a smaller team is cheaper for teams under 25, though this will vary by city depending on the number of spaces available. The higher price range for a 50+ office is a reflection that it may encompass one or more entire floors with private meeting rooms, kitchens, and even amenities such as private elevator access.

The data presented throughout this document is based on the median prices available for 1-4, 5-10, 11-15, 16-25, 26-50 & 50+ private offices available in locations around the UK. While the prices for most large cities will encompass hundreds of options for each office size, smaller cities such as Edinburgh may have fewer options available depending on the number of operators and little or no options available for some of the larger office sizes.

Supply is at a record and the private office median has been flat through 2026, so there is room to negotiate, particularly on larger floors and longer terms.

Flexible Office Price by City

At a city level, Greater London accounts for about 60% of the flexible office space in the UK, 4.8 million of 8.1 million sq ft. Manchester is the largest centre outside London with 325,000 sq ft, then Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol at 80,000 to 95,000 sq ft each.

When it comes to price, London is the most expensive per person per month for private office space, boosted by Central London, where the median is £685 a desk against £315 to £430 in the other London regions.

Prices and availability as at September 2026

Office Space Prices in Greater London

As a large global city, Greater London is as diverse as many of the regions around the UK with a range of office sizes, prices, and amenities to meet the needs of almost any business. Though there are bargains across the city, prices are at a premium in the City of London, where median rates run from £709 a desk for a 1-4 person office to £836 for an office of 50 or more.

Author: Tom Petryshen, VP Growth & Analytics
Figures: live, updated weekly - latest extract September 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Office Price Guides

• UK Flexible Office Space Report
• City of London Office Price Guide
• Central London Office Price Guide
• East London Office Price Guide
• West London Office Price Guide
• Birmingham Price Guide
• Manchester Office Price Guide
• Leeds Office Price Guide
• Scotland Office Space Price Guide
• Dublin Office Price Guide