Bolton vs Preston: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £27,000 (20%) more in Bolton than in Preston. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bolton: it takes 4.7× median annual pay, against 3.6× in Preston.
At a glance
| Bolton | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | Above average |
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 Preston (£37,214) is 9% higher than in Bolton (£34,186), while a typical terraced house costs 17% less (£135,000 against £162,000). Set against local pay, Preston is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.7× annual pay in Bolton and 3.6× in Preston. Renting one takes 30% of pay in Bolton and 26% in Preston. Both are harder in Bolton, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bolton is the 65th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Preston is the 35th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bolton is around the middle of 316 areas (181st most expensive) and Preston is the 40th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bolton would need about £33,500 in Preston to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £37,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Preston 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 98.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bolton and 98.6 in Preston: about the same. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 7.6 per 1,000 in Bolton against 9.6 in Preston.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bolton | Preston |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £34,186 | £37,214 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.7× | 3.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 106% | 138% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 30% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bolton | Preston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £360,000 | £332,000 | -8% in Preston |
| Semi-detached | £225,000 | £210,000 | -7% in Preston |
| Terraced | £162,000 | £135,000 | -17% in Preston |
| Flat | £115,500 | £94,000 | -19% in Preston |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bolton | Preston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,354 | £1,117 | -18% in Preston |
| Semi-detached | £969 | £858 | -11% in Preston |
| Terraced | £860 | £798 | -7% in Preston |
| Flat | £784 | £666 | -15% in Preston |
Crime
Police recorded 98.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bolton and 98.6 in Preston: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bolton | Preston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 98.0 | 98.6 | +1% in Preston |
| Violence against the person | 42.7 | 39.4 | -8% in Preston |
| Sexual offences | 4.0 | 4.3 | +9% in Preston |
| Robbery | 1.4 | 1.5 | +8% in Preston |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.9 | 7.1 | +2% in Preston |
| Vehicle offences | 4.5 | 5.4 | +19% in Preston |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 0.6 | +18% in Preston |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.6 | 9.6 | +27% in Preston |
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 | Bolton | Preston |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 109 | 109 |
| 2007 | 119 | 118 |
| 2008 | 116 | 113 |
| 2009 | 103 | 103 |
| 2010 | 103 | 105 |
| 2011 | 99 | 100 |
| 2012 | 98 | 101 |
| 2013 | 100 | 100 |
| 2014 | 102 | 102 |
| 2015 | 106 | 105 |
| 2016 | 110 | 107 |
| 2017 | 117 | 108 |
| 2018 | 121 | 109 |
| 2019 | 126 | 109 |
| 2020 | 131 | 110 |
| 2021 | 149 | 122 |
| 2022 | 167 | 132 |
| 2023 | 172 | 136 |
| 2024 | 179 | 141 |
| 2025 | 186 | 144 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 190 | 150 |
In 2005 the average home cost £105,242 in Bolton and £124,445 in Preston. Now it is £200,205 and £186,152: Bolton is up 90% and Preston is up 50%. Prices have risen faster in Bolton, 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 | Bolton | Preston |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.1 years of pay | 5.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.9 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.7 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.1 years of pay | 5.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.7 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.1 years of pay in Bolton and 5.9 years in Preston. In 2025 it was 5.7 years and 4.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Bolton 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 | Bolton | Preston |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 101 |
| 2018 | 110 | 101 |
| 2019 | 112 | 101 |
| 2020 | 113 | 102 |
| 2021 | 117 | 104 |
| 2022 | 126 | 108 |
| 2023 | 136 | 114 |
| 2024 | 146 | 120 |
| 2025 | 159 | 131 |
| August 2026 | 174 | 141 |
In 2015 the average rent was £513 a month in Bolton and £562 in Preston. Now it is £894 and £790: up 74% in Bolton and up 41% in Preston. Rents have risen faster in Bolton.
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 Bolton to Preston
| Earning in Bolton | Equivalent to buy in Preston | Equivalent to rent in Preston |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £33,500 | £37,000 |
| £50,000 | £41,500 | £46,500 |
| £60,000 | £50,000 | £55,500 |
Moving from Preston to Bolton
| Earning in Preston | Equivalent to buy in Bolton | Equivalent to rent in Bolton |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,000 | £32,500 |
| £40,000 | £48,000 | £43,000 |
| £50,000 | £60,000 | £54,000 |
| £60,000 | £72,000 | £64,500 |