Castle Point vs Manchester: buying or renting a home
A typical semi-detached house costs £57,000 (18%) more in Castle Point than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Castle Point | Manchester | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 13% lower than in Castle Point (£41,745), while a typical semi-detached house costs 16% less (£310,000 against £367,000).
Buying a semi-detached house takes 8.8× annual pay in Castle Point and 8.5× in Manchester. Renting one takes 39% of pay in Castle Point and 49% in Manchester. Renting is harder in Manchester; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Castle Point is the 97th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive). For renting against pay, Castle Point is the 122nd most expensive of 316 areas and Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Castle Point would need about £34,000 in Manchester to be equally placed to buy a semi-detached house, and about £44,000 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 52.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Castle Point and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident in Manchester is 2.7 times the rate in Castle Point. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.4 per 1,000 in Castle Point against 7.9 in Manchester.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Semi-detached house | Castle Point | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,745 | £36,278 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.8× | 8.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 57% | 59% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 39% | 49% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Castle Point | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £432,500 | £400,000 | -8% in Manchester |
| Semi-detached | £367,000 | £310,000 | -16% in Manchester |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Castle Point | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,436 | £1,878 | +31% in Manchester |
| Semi-detached | £1,358 | £1,496 | +10% in Manchester |
Crime
Police recorded 52.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Castle Point and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident in Manchester is 2.7 times the rate in Castle Point.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Castle Point | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 52.1 | 142.7 | +174% in Manchester |
| Violence against the person | 23.6 | 51.9 | +120% in Manchester |
| Sexual offences | 2.4 | 5.6 | +135% in Manchester |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 2.7 | +548% in Manchester |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.1 | 9.3 | +124% in Manchester |
| Vehicle offences | 2.4 | 7.9 | +225% in Manchester |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 3.9 | +1542% in Manchester |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 10.0 | +72% 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 | Castle Point | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 117 |
| 2007 | 112 | 129 |
| 2008 | 111 | 125 |
| 2009 | 98 | 112 |
| 2010 | 109 | 115 |
| 2011 | 106 | 114 |
| 2012 | 106 | 115 |
| 2013 | 108 | 115 |
| 2014 | 118 | 125 |
| 2015 | 132 | 133 |
| 2016 | 149 | 145 |
| 2017 | 163 | 158 |
| 2018 | 166 | 167 |
| 2019 | 167 | 173 |
| 2020 | 170 | 178 |
| 2021 | 183 | 209 |
| 2022 | 201 | 231 |
| 2023 | 203 | 233 |
| 2024 | 198 | 241 |
| 2025 | 204 | 247 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 206 | 251 |
In 2005 the average home cost £178,784 in Castle Point and £100,202 in Manchester. Now it is £367,754 and £251,205: Castle Point is up 106% 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 | Castle Point | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.9 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | – | 5.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 8.9 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.7 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Castle Point and 4.8 years in Manchester. In 2025 it was 8.7 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Castle Point | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 101 |
| 2017 | 108 | 106 |
| 2018 | 113 | 112 |
| 2019 | 118 | 114 |
| 2020 | 120 | 117 |
| 2021 | 124 | 120 |
| 2022 | 127 | 127 |
| 2023 | 131 | 139 |
| 2024 | 139 | 156 |
| 2025 | 149 | 167 |
| August 2026 | 157 | 174 |
In 2015 the average rent was £804 a month in Castle Point and £790 in Manchester. Now it is £1,262 and £1,373: up 57% in Castle Point 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 (semi-detached), going by median prices and average rents.
Moving from Castle Point to Manchester
| Earning in Castle Point | Equivalent to buy in Manchester | Equivalent to rent in Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £44,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,000 | £55,000 |
| £60,000 | £50,500 | £66,000 |
Moving from Manchester to Castle Point
| Earning in Manchester | Equivalent to buy in Castle Point | Equivalent to rent in Castle Point |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £47,500 | £36,500 |
| £50,000 | £59,000 | £45,500 |
| £60,000 | £71,000 | £54,500 |