Private rentals for two-bedroom homes have risen by almost a quarter in the past nine years, according to new figures published by the Scottish Government.
In the Lothian region, prices have jumped 46.3% from an average of £655 to £972 a month.
Across Scotland, the average now stands at £668, an increase of 24.6% on 2010.
The report looked at the cost of two-bedroom homes "because these are the most prevalent size of property in the private-rented sector".
It found the average amount paid by private renters for a two-bedroom property in Scotland rose by 2.4% between 2018 and 2019 - with prices in the Greater Glasgow area up by 5.3%.
Over the nine-year period, the average cost in Greater Glasgow has increased by 38.3% to £780.
Fife and Forth Valley have also experienced rises of more than a fifth since 2010, at 22.1% to £567 and 21% to £596 respectively.
At the other end of the scale, the increase in the cost of the average two-bedroom private rental property from 2010 to 2019 in Ayrshire was 1.5% to £471 and 1.4% in Aberdeen city and shire to £652 a month.
Graeme Brown, director of housing charity Shelter Scotland, described rental costs in the Lothian area as "eye-watering".
He said: "The cost of keeping a roof over your head continues to rise in most parts of Scotland with the average rent on a typical two-bed property in Lothian region now an eye-watering £972 a month.
"This is putting pressure on household budgets and far too many people are living a precarious existence just making ends meet with the prospect of homelessness looming over them."
He called for more homes to be built for rent by councils and housing associations, saying: "The answer to this is to keep expanding social housing in Scotland. "
While he said the first increase in the level of social housing since 1980 had recently been recorded - as a result of more homes being built and an ending of right-to-buy legislation in Scotland - he added: "Worryingly we face a cliff-edge where this will stop in 2021 if we don't get an urgent commitment from Scottish Government that we will keep building."
Meanwhile, Labour called for "meaningful intervention" from ministers to stop "inflation-busting rent increases".
Communities spokeswoman Pauline McNeill said: "With so many and people living in privately rented homes, these hikes in rent represent a genuine danger of increasing the levels of poverty and deprivation in our communities.
"It's time for the SNP to admit that rent pressure zones are not fit for purpose.
"These statistics show that we need meaningful intervention in the private rented sector to stop inflation-busting rent increases causing uncertainty and risking poverty for tenants."
