Many Britons must wait until their 30s before they can afford to buy their first home, because they face some of the steepest private-sector rents in Europe while they save a deposit.

A study of more than 110,000 UK, French, Italian and Spanish rental properties by flat-share website Easyroommate.co.uk reveals that a UK tenant pays at least £63 more per month than their European counterparts for a room with access to shared and communal facilities.

The average rent for a room in the UK (£348) is 75 per cent higher than the average for Spain - a difference of £149. With average rents of £285, France is the second most expensive country for renters, followed by Italy (£282).

Jonathan Moore, director of Easyroommate, says: "The rent is far higher for British flat-sharers than it is for their European counterparts. The strength of the pound against the euro plays a part - but it's not the whole story.

"Brits pay more for accommodation because frustrated first-time buyers push up demand for rental properties."

The gulf is probably accentuated because banks and building societies have been more willing to lend on the Continent since the global financial crisis broke in 2008.

The latest European Mortgage Federation report shows gross residential mortgage lending in France increased 29.2 per cent in the past year (ending in quarter four of 2009), 6.2 per cent in Spain, and 2.6 per cent in Italy. In contrast, the same report shows UK lending was down 21.4 per cent in the same period.

Mr Moore added: "In the UK, it's practically impossible to get a mortgage if you're a first-time buyer because the UK banks refuse to lend any money while they rebuild their balance sheets. The Spanish banking system rode the ongoing worldwide liquidity crisis, thanks to its conservative culture.

"Over the past 10 years, Spanish banks have had to have high capital provisions and have demanded various guarantees and securities from intending borrowers. As a result, there isn't a glut of first-time buyers over there.

"An oversupply of properties - both to buy and to rent - combined with better access to mortgage finance and deteriorating real estate prices - is keeping rents down."

In a survey of the biggest five cities in each of these countries, Milan is the single most expensive city in Europe, with average room rents of £621 per month. London is second in the table (£551) - £110 higher than Rome (£441).

Here's how Europe's most expensive places to live shape up for tenants: 1 Milan (£621) 2 London (£551) 3 Rome (£441) 4 Paris (£426) 5 Nice (£380) 6 Birmingham (£345) 7 Marseille (£343) 8 Manchester (£334) 9 Naples (£332) 10 Leeds (£322) (Average monthly rent in brackets. Source: Easyroommate.co.uk) n Spanish cities are among the least expensive, with Valencia, Seville and Zaragoza all in the cheapest five. Valencia is the cheapest city (£207 pcm).