Pay vs Place

Cambridge vs Manchester: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £236,500 (92%) more in Cambridge than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cambridge: it takes 11.3× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Manchester.

Cambridge, terraced
£492,500
Income typically needed: £98,500
Median full-time pay: £43,741
Manchester, terraced
£256,000
Income typically needed: £51,000
Median full-time pay: £36,278

At a glance

Cambridge 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 17% lower than in Cambridge (£43,741), while a typical terraced house costs 48% less (£256,000 against £492,500). Set against local pay, Manchester is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 11.3× annual pay in Cambridge and 7.1× in Manchester. Renting one takes 50% of pay in Cambridge and 46% in Manchester. Both are harder in Cambridge, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Cambridge is the 31st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive). For renting against pay, Cambridge is the 28th most expensive of 316 areas and Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Cambridge would need about £21,000 in Manchester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £30,500 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 91.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cambridge and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident is 56% higher in Manchester. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 27.4 per 1,000 in Cambridge against 51.9 in Manchester.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Cambridge Manchester
Median full-time pay £43,741 £36,278
House price ÷ pay 11.3× 7.1×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 44% 71%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 50% 46%

Buying, by property type

Type Cambridge Manchester Difference
Detached £810,153 £400,000 -51% in Manchester
Semi-detached £550,138 £310,000 -44% in Manchester
Terraced £492,500 £256,000 -48% in Manchester
Flat £320,000 £210,000 -34% in Manchester

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Cambridge Manchester Difference
Detached £2,342 £1,878 -20% in Manchester
Semi-detached £2,008 £1,496 -25% in Manchester
Terraced £1,833 £1,405 -23% in Manchester
Flat £1,455 £1,147 -21% in Manchester

Crime

Police recorded 91.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cambridge and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident is 56% higher in Manchester.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Cambridge Manchester Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 91.7 142.7 +56% in Manchester
Violence against the person 27.4 51.9 +89% in Manchester
Sexual offences 3.0 5.6 +87% in Manchester
Robbery 1.2 2.7 +123% in Manchester
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.8 9.3 +37% in Manchester
Vehicle offences 4.2 7.9 +88% in Manchester
Theft from the person 2.3 3.9 +68% in Manchester
Criminal damage and arson 7.0 10.0 +42% 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.

Cambridge: 211Manchester: 251
House prices in Cambridge and Manchester since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cambridge now 211, Manchester now 251.10015020025030020052010201520202025House prices in Cambridge and Manchester since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cambridge now 211, Manchester now 251.10015020025030020102020
Show the figures
YearCambridgeManchester
2005100100
2006111117
2007124129
2008116125
2009111112
2010123115
2011126114
2012135115
2013147115
2014163125
2015184133
2016193145
2017199158
2018201167
2019198173
2020201178
2021200209
2022221231
2023219233
2024217241
2025214247
12 months to July 2026211251

In 2005 the average home cost £225,245 in Cambridge and £100,202 in Manchester. Now it is £475,300 and £251,205: Cambridge is up 111% 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.

Cambridge: 11.0 years of payManchester: 6.8 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cambridge and ManchesterCambridge now 11.0, Manchester now 6.8 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cambridge and ManchesterCambridge now 11.0, Manchester now 6.8 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCambridgeManchester
2005–4.8 years of pay
20109.0 years of pay5.0 years of pay
201513.2 years of pay5.4 years of pay
202013.0 years of pay6.3 years of pay
202511.0 years of pay6.8 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 9.0 years of pay in Cambridge and 5.0 years in Manchester. In 2025 it was 11.0 years and 6.8 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Cambridge: 148Manchester: 174
Rents in Cambridge and Manchester since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cambridge now 148, Manchester now 174.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Cambridge and Manchester since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cambridge now 148, Manchester now 174.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearCambridgeManchester
2015100100
2016107101
2017109106
2018109112
2019111114
2020112117
2021114120
2022119127
2023127139
2024137156
2025145167
August 2026148174

In 2015 the average rent was £1,223 a month in Cambridge and £790 in Manchester. Now it is £1,805 and £1,373: up 48% in Cambridge 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 Cambridge to Manchester

Earning in Cambridge Equivalent to buy in Manchester Equivalent to rent in Manchester
£30,000 £15,500 £23,000
£40,000 £21,000 £30,500
£50,000 £26,000 £38,500
£60,000 £31,000 £46,000

Moving from Manchester to Cambridge

Earning in Manchester Equivalent to buy in Cambridge Equivalent to rent in Cambridge
£30,000 £57,500 £39,000
£40,000 £77,000 £52,000
£50,000 £96,000 £65,000
£60,000 £115,500 £78,500
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 Cambridge figures · All Manchester figures