Pay vs Place

Ashford vs Manchester: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £29,000 (11%) more in Ashford than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Ashford: it takes 7.6× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Manchester.

Ashford, terraced
£285,000
Income typically needed: £57,000
Median full-time pay: £37,440
Manchester, terraced
£256,000
Income typically needed: £51,000
Median full-time pay: £36,278

At a glance

Ashford Manchester
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime About average High

Buying rates the typical price of all homes against median pay; renting rates a year of average rent against median pay; crime rates recorded crime per resident against the England and Wales average.

What the numbers say

Median full-time pay in Manchester (£36,278) is 3% lower than in Ashford (£37,440), while a typical terraced house costs 10% less (£256,000 against £285,000). Set against local pay, Manchester is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 7.6× annual pay in Ashford and 7.1× in Manchester. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Ashford and 46% in Manchester. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Ashford, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Manchester.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Ashford is the 79th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive). For renting against pay, Ashford is the 85th most expensive of 316 areas and Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Ashford would need about £36,000 in Manchester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £44,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Manchester would leave you better placed to buy. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.

Police recorded 65.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashford and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident in Manchester is 2.2 times the rate in Ashford. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.4 per 1,000 in Ashford against 7.9 in Manchester.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Ashford Manchester
Median full-time pay £37,440 £36,278
House price ÷ pay 7.6× 7.1×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 66% 71%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 41% 46%

Buying, by property type

Type Ashford Manchester Difference
Detached £515,000 £400,000 -22% in Manchester
Semi-detached £337,000 £310,000 -8% in Manchester
Terraced £285,000 £256,000 -10% in Manchester
Flat £175,000 £210,000 +20% in Manchester

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Ashford Manchester Difference
Detached £1,783 £1,878 +5% in Manchester
Semi-detached £1,333 £1,496 +12% in Manchester
Terraced £1,268 £1,405 +11% in Manchester
Flat £1,045 £1,147 +10% in Manchester

Crime

Police recorded 65.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashford and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident in Manchester is 2.2 times the rate in Ashford.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Ashford Manchester Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 65.3 142.7 +119% in Manchester
Violence against the person 27.0 51.9 +93% in Manchester
Sexual offences 2.9 5.6 +93% in Manchester
Robbery 0.5 2.7 +433% in Manchester
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.6 9.3 +103% in Manchester
Vehicle offences 2.4 7.9 +236% in Manchester
Theft from the person 0.3 3.9 +1307% in Manchester
Criminal damage and arson 7.0 10.0 +43% in Manchester

Rates use resident population, so city centres and student areas show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on reporting and police recording practice.

How prices have changed in each area

Average house price for all property types, indexed so that 2005 is 100. A line at 200 means prices have doubled.

Ashford: 191Manchester: 251
House prices in Ashford and Manchester since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ashford now 191, Manchester now 251.10015020025030020052010201520202025House prices in Ashford and Manchester since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ashford now 191, Manchester now 251.10015020025030020102020
Show the figures
YearAshfordManchester
2005100100
2006107117
2007117129
2008113125
2009102112
2010110115
2011106114
2012109115
2013114115
2014121125
2015131133
2016143145
2017152158
2018159167
2019161173
2020163178
2021173209
2022188231
2023190233
2024188241
2025189247
12 months to July 2026191251

In 2005 the average home cost £180,701 in Ashford and £100,202 in Manchester. Now it is £345,734 and £251,205: Ashford is up 91% and Manchester is up 151%. Prices have risen faster in Manchester, so the gap between the two has narrowed.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Ashford: 9.1 years of payManchester: 6.8 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ashford and ManchesterAshford now 9.1, Manchester now 6.8 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ashford and ManchesterAshford now 9.1, Manchester now 6.8 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearAshfordManchester
20058.0 years of pay4.8 years of pay
20108.1 years of pay5.0 years of pay
20158.5 years of pay5.4 years of pay
20209.8 years of pay6.3 years of pay
20259.1 years of pay6.8 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.0 years of pay in Ashford and 4.8 years in Manchester. In 2025 it was 9.1 years and 6.8 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Manchester over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Ashford: 164Manchester: 174
Rents in Ashford and Manchester since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ashford now 164, Manchester now 174.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Ashford and Manchester since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ashford now 164, Manchester now 174.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearAshfordManchester
2015100100
2016103101
2017108106
2018112112
2019114114
2020116117
2021119120
2022127127
2023134139
2024146156
2025157167
August 2026164174

In 2015 the average rent was £762 a month in Ashford and £790 in Manchester. Now it is £1,248 and £1,373: up 64% in Ashford and up 74% in Manchester. Rents have risen faster in Manchester.

What your salary is worth in each area

Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.

Moving from Ashford to Manchester

Earning in Ashford Equivalent to buy in Manchester Equivalent to rent in Manchester
£30,000 £27,000 £33,000
£40,000 £36,000 £44,500
£50,000 £45,000 £55,500
£60,000 £54,000 £66,500

Moving from Manchester to Ashford

Earning in Manchester Equivalent to buy in Ashford Equivalent to rent in Ashford
£30,000 £33,500 £27,000
£40,000 £44,500 £36,000
£50,000 £55,500 £45,000
£60,000 £67,000 £54,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Ashford figures · All Manchester figures