Bury vs West Lancashire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £30,000 (18%) more in Bury than in West Lancashire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bury: it takes 5.5× median annual pay, against 4.3× in West Lancashire.
At a glance
| Bury | West Lancashire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | Low |
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 West Lancashire (£38,102) is 7% higher than in Bury (£35,767), while a typical terraced house costs 15% less (£165,000 against £195,000). Set against local pay, West Lancashire is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 5.5× annual pay in Bury and 4.3× in West Lancashire. Renting one takes 32% of pay in Bury and 26% in West Lancashire. Both are harder in Bury, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bury is the 121st least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and West Lancashire is the 98th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bury is around the middle of 316 areas (164th most expensive) and West Lancashire is the 38th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bury would need about £34,000 in West Lancashire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £34,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Lancashire 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 92.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bury and 48.6 in West Lancashire, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in West Lancashire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.9 per 1,000 in Bury against 2.1 in West Lancashire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bury | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,767 | £38,102 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.5× | 4.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 92% | 115% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 32% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bury | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £386,500 | £375,000 | -3% in West Lancashire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £235,000 | -11% in West Lancashire |
| Terraced | £195,000 | £165,000 | -15% in West Lancashire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bury | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,444 | £1,148 | -20% in West Lancashire |
| Semi-detached | £1,059 | £833 | -21% in West Lancashire |
| Terraced | £946 | £816 | -14% in West Lancashire |
Crime
Police recorded 92.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bury and 48.6 in West Lancashire, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in West Lancashire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bury | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 92.1 | 48.6 | -47% in West Lancashire |
| Violence against the person | 39.0 | 21.8 | -44% in West Lancashire |
| Sexual offences | 3.9 | 2.5 | -36% in West Lancashire |
| Robbery | 1.0 | 0.6 | -41% in West Lancashire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.6 | 4.6 | -30% in West Lancashire |
| Vehicle offences | 3.9 | 2.1 | -45% in West Lancashire |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 0.2 | -59% in West Lancashire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.8 | 5.4 | -31% in West Lancashire |
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 | Bury | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 107 |
| 2007 | 113 | 118 |
| 2008 | 110 | 113 |
| 2009 | 99 | 108 |
| 2010 | 102 | 111 |
| 2011 | 99 | 112 |
| 2012 | 97 | 108 |
| 2013 | 97 | 108 |
| 2014 | 103 | 110 |
| 2015 | 109 | 112 |
| 2016 | 114 | 120 |
| 2017 | 124 | 123 |
| 2018 | 129 | 127 |
| 2019 | 136 | 128 |
| 2020 | 143 | 129 |
| 2021 | 163 | 137 |
| 2022 | 178 | 148 |
| 2023 | 182 | 156 |
| 2024 | 186 | 163 |
| 2025 | 193 | 166 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 197 | 171 |
In 2005 the average home cost £121,331 in Bury and £137,815 in West Lancashire. Now it is £238,479 and £235,697: Bury is up 97% and West Lancashire is up 71%. Prices have risen faster in Bury, 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 | Bury | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.2 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.7 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.8 years of pay | 5.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.4 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.2 years of pay in Bury and 6.1 years in West Lancashire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.0 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Bury 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 | Bury | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 103 |
| 2018 | 111 | 103 |
| 2019 | 113 | 103 |
| 2020 | 115 | 102 |
| 2021 | 119 | 101 |
| 2022 | 127 | 102 |
| 2023 | 139 | 108 |
| 2024 | 154 | 117 |
| 2025 | 168 | 131 |
| August 2026 | 174 | 140 |
In 2015 the average rent was £558 a month in Bury and £573 in West Lancashire. Now it is £969 and £805: up 74% in Bury and up 40% in West Lancashire. Rents have risen faster in Bury.
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 Bury to West Lancashire
| Earning in Bury | Equivalent to buy in West Lancashire | Equivalent to rent in West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £26,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £34,500 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £43,000 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £52,000 |
Moving from West Lancashire to Bury
| Earning in West Lancashire | Equivalent to buy in Bury | Equivalent to rent in Bury |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £35,000 |
| £40,000 | £47,500 | £46,500 |
| £50,000 | £59,000 | £58,000 |
| £60,000 | £71,000 | £69,500 |