Bedford vs Manchester: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £39,000 (15%) more in Bedford than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Bedford | Manchester | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | 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 12% lower than in Bedford (£41,214), while a typical terraced house costs 13% less (£256,000 against £295,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 7.2× annual pay in Bedford and 7.1× in Manchester. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Bedford and 46% in Manchester. Renting is harder in Manchester; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bedford is the 120th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive). For renting against pay, Bedford is around the middle of 316 areas (146th most expensive) and Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bedford would need about £34,500 in Manchester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £49,000 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 76.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bedford and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident is 86% higher in Manchester. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.1 per 1,000 in Bedford against 9.3 in Manchester.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bedford | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,214 | £36,278 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.2× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 70% | 71% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 46% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bedford | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £489,000 | £400,000 | -18% in Manchester |
| Semi-detached | £343,688 | £310,000 | -10% in Manchester |
| Terraced | £295,000 | £256,000 | -13% in Manchester |
| Flat | £185,000 | £210,000 | +14% in Manchester |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bedford | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,599 | £1,878 | +17% in Manchester |
| Semi-detached | £1,313 | £1,496 | +14% in Manchester |
| Terraced | £1,147 | £1,405 | +22% in Manchester |
| Flat | £915 | £1,147 | +25% in Manchester |
Crime
Police recorded 76.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bedford and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident is 86% higher in Manchester.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bedford | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 76.7 | 142.7 | +86% in Manchester |
| Violence against the person | 29.1 | 51.9 | +78% in Manchester |
| Sexual offences | 3.3 | 5.6 | +74% in Manchester |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 2.7 | +159% in Manchester |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.1 | 9.3 | +127% in Manchester |
| Vehicle offences | 5.7 | 7.9 | +40% in Manchester |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 3.9 | +643% in Manchester |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.2 | 10.0 | +61% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bedford | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 117 |
| 2007 | 112 | 129 |
| 2008 | 110 | 125 |
| 2009 | 97 | 112 |
| 2010 | 103 | 115 |
| 2011 | 103 | 114 |
| 2012 | 105 | 115 |
| 2013 | 107 | 115 |
| 2014 | 117 | 125 |
| 2015 | 128 | 133 |
| 2016 | 145 | 145 |
| 2017 | 157 | 158 |
| 2018 | 163 | 167 |
| 2019 | 161 | 173 |
| 2020 | 160 | 178 |
| 2021 | 170 | 209 |
| 2022 | 187 | 231 |
| 2023 | 190 | 233 |
| 2024 | 189 | 241 |
| 2025 | 195 | 247 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 200 | 251 |
In 2005 the average home cost £164,542 in Bedford and £100,202 in Manchester. Now it is £328,694 and £251,205: Bedford is up 100% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bedford | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.1 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.1 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.5 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.6 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.8 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Bedford and 4.8 years in Manchester. In 2025 it was 7.8 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bedford | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 101 |
| 2017 | 114 | 106 |
| 2018 | 118 | 112 |
| 2019 | 118 | 114 |
| 2020 | 119 | 117 |
| 2021 | 122 | 120 |
| 2022 | 130 | 127 |
| 2023 | 136 | 139 |
| 2024 | 144 | 156 |
| 2025 | 157 | 167 |
| August 2026 | 163 | 174 |
In 2015 the average rent was £718 a month in Bedford and £790 in Manchester. Now it is £1,173 and £1,373: up 63% in Bedford 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 Bedford to Manchester
| Earning in Bedford | Equivalent to buy in Manchester | Equivalent to rent in Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,000 | £36,500 |
| £40,000 | £34,500 | £49,000 |
| £50,000 | £43,500 | £61,000 |
| £60,000 | £52,000 | £73,500 |
Moving from Manchester to Bedford
| Earning in Manchester | Equivalent to buy in Bedford | Equivalent to rent in Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,500 | £24,500 |
| £40,000 | £46,000 | £32,500 |
| £50,000 | £57,500 | £41,000 |
| £60,000 | £69,000 | £49,000 |