Pay vs Place

Bolton vs Rochdale: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £7,750 (5%) more in Rochdale than in Bolton. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.

Bolton, terraced
£162,000
Income typically needed: £32,500
Median full-time pay: £34,186
Rochdale, terraced
£169,750
Income typically needed: £34,000
Median full-time pay: £34,660

At a glance

Bolton Rochdale
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 Rochdale (£34,660) is 1% higher than in Bolton (£34,186), while a typical terraced house costs 5% more (£169,750 against £162,000).

Buying a terraced house takes 4.7× annual pay in Bolton and 4.9× in Rochdale. Renting one takes 30% of pay in Bolton and 29% in Rochdale. On both measures the two areas are close.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bolton is the 65th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Rochdale is the 70th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bolton is around the middle of 316 areas (181st most expensive) and Rochdale is the 117th least expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bolton would need about £42,000 in Rochdale to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £39,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Rochdale would leave you worse 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 104.6 in Rochdale, so recorded crime per resident is 7% higher in Rochdale. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 4.5 per 1,000 in Bolton against 5.7 in Rochdale.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bolton Rochdale
Median full-time pay £34,186 £34,660
House price ÷ pay 4.7× 4.9×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 106% 102%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 30% 29%

Buying, by property type

Type Bolton Rochdale Difference
Detached £360,000 £350,000 -3% in Rochdale
Semi-detached £225,000 £230,000 +2% in Rochdale
Terraced £162,000 £169,750 +5% in Rochdale
Flat £115,500 £125,000 +8% in Rochdale

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bolton Rochdale Difference
Detached £1,354 £1,271 -6% in Rochdale
Semi-detached £969 £947 -2% in Rochdale
Terraced £860 £841 -2% in Rochdale
Flat £784 £706 -10% in Rochdale

Crime

Police recorded 98.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bolton and 104.6 in Rochdale, so recorded crime per resident is 7% higher in Rochdale.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bolton Rochdale Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 98.0 104.6 +7% in Rochdale
Violence against the person 42.7 44.2 +3% in Rochdale
Sexual offences 4.0 4.5 +15% in Rochdale
Robbery 1.4 1.2 -12% in Rochdale
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.9 7.6 +10% in Rochdale
Vehicle offences 4.5 5.7 +26% in Rochdale
Theft from the person 0.5 0.4 -18% in Rochdale
Criminal damage and arson 7.6 8.6 +13% in Rochdale

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.

Bolton: 190Rochdale: 200
House prices in Bolton and Rochdale since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bolton now 190, Rochdale now 200.5010015020020052010201520202025House prices in Bolton and Rochdale since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bolton now 190, Rochdale now 200.5010015020020102020
Show the figures
YearBoltonRochdale
2005100100
2006109107
2007119118
2008116115
2009103103
2010103103
20119998
20129898
201310098
2014102102
2015106104
2016110110
2017117113
2018121121
2019126128
2020131133
2021149151
2022167169
2023172176
2024179182
2025186194
12 months to July 2026190200

In 2005 the average home cost £105,242 in Bolton and £104,174 in Rochdale. Now it is £200,205 and £208,130: Bolton is up 90% and Rochdale is up 100%. Prices have risen faster in Rochdale, 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.

Bolton: 5.7 years of payRochdale: 5.8 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bolton and RochdaleBolton now 5.7, Rochdale now 5.8 years of pay.0×2×4×6×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bolton and RochdaleBolton now 5.7, Rochdale now 5.8 years of pay.0×2×4×6×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBoltonRochdale
20055.1 years of pay5.0 years of pay
20104.9 years of pay4.6 years of pay
20154.7 years of pay4.5 years of pay
20205.1 years of pay5.1 years of pay
20255.7 years of pay5.8 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.1 years of pay in Bolton and 5.0 years in Rochdale. In 2025 it was 5.7 years and 5.8 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bolton: 174Rochdale: 175
Rents in Bolton and Rochdale since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bolton now 174, Rochdale now 175.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bolton and Rochdale since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bolton now 174, Rochdale now 175.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBoltonRochdale
2015100100
2016104101
2017108102
2018110103
2019112105
2020113108
2021117116
2022126120
2023136131
2024146145
2025159159
August 2026174175

In 2015 the average rent was £513 a month in Bolton and £488 in Rochdale. Now it is £894 and £855: up 74% in Bolton and up 75% in Rochdale.

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 Rochdale

Earning in Bolton Equivalent to buy in Rochdale Equivalent to rent in Rochdale
£30,000 £31,500 £29,500
£40,000 £42,000 £39,000
£50,000 £52,500 £49,000
£60,000 £63,000 £58,500

Moving from Rochdale to Bolton

Earning in Rochdale Equivalent to buy in Bolton Equivalent to rent in Bolton
£30,000 £28,500 £30,500
£40,000 £38,000 £41,000
£50,000 £47,500 £51,000
£60,000 £57,500 £61,500
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 Bolton figures · All Rochdale figures