Cheshire East vs Liverpool: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £52,000 (32%) more in Cheshire East than in Liverpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cheshire East: it takes 5.3× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Liverpool.
At a glance
| Cheshire East | Liverpool | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | About 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 Liverpool (£37,144) is 9% lower than in Cheshire East (£40,991), while a typical terraced house costs 24% less (£165,000 against £217,000). Set against local pay, Liverpool is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 5.3× annual pay in Cheshire East and 4.4× in Liverpool. Renting one takes 28% of pay in Cheshire East and 30% in Liverpool. Buying is harder in Cheshire East; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Cheshire East is around the middle of 316 areas (177th most expensive) to buy in, and Liverpool is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cheshire East is the 104th least expensive of 316 areas and Liverpool is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Cheshire East would need about £30,500 in Liverpool to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Liverpool 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 61.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cheshire East and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident in Liverpool is 2.0 times the rate in Cheshire East. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.7 per 1,000 in Cheshire East against 5.3 in Liverpool.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Cheshire East | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £40,991 | £37,144 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.3× | 4.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 94% | 113% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 28% | 30% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Cheshire East | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £448,000 | £380,000 | -15% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £268,500 | £240,000 | -11% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £217,000 | £165,000 | -24% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £159,000 | £147,500 | -7% in Liverpool |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Cheshire East | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,432 | £1,225 | -14% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £1,089 | £1,008 | -7% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £968 | £917 | -5% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £821 | £786 | -4% in Liverpool |
Crime
Police recorded 61.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cheshire East and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident in Liverpool is 2.0 times the rate in Cheshire East.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Cheshire East | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 61.0 | 124.1 | +103% in Liverpool |
| Violence against the person | 26.7 | 45.6 | +71% in Liverpool |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 4.1 | +28% in Liverpool |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 1.6 | +409% in Liverpool |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.9 | 6.1 | +56% in Liverpool |
| Vehicle offences | 1.7 | 5.3 | +211% in Liverpool |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 1.2 | +693% in Liverpool |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.4 | 10.3 | +136% in Liverpool |
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 | Cheshire East | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 110 |
| 2007 | 114 | 117 |
| 2008 | 111 | 113 |
| 2009 | 101 | 104 |
| 2010 | 107 | 105 |
| 2011 | 105 | 101 |
| 2012 | 103 | 99 |
| 2013 | 106 | 99 |
| 2014 | 113 | 103 |
| 2015 | 116 | 107 |
| 2016 | 123 | 110 |
| 2017 | 126 | 115 |
| 2018 | 132 | 121 |
| 2019 | 135 | 123 |
| 2020 | 139 | 128 |
| 2021 | 150 | 148 |
| 2022 | 163 | 161 |
| 2023 | 167 | 163 |
| 2024 | 172 | 166 |
| 2025 | 181 | 179 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 184 | 183 |
In 2005 the average home cost £162,970 in Cheshire East and £99,018 in Liverpool. Now it is £299,566 and £181,637: Cheshire East is up 84% and Liverpool is up 83%.
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 | Cheshire East | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | – | 4.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.7 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.8 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.0 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.2 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 6.7 years of pay in Cheshire East and 4.3 years in Liverpool. In 2025 it was 7.2 years and 4.8 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 | Cheshire East | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 103 |
| 2017 | 104 | 104 |
| 2018 | 107 | 104 |
| 2019 | 108 | 105 |
| 2020 | 110 | 106 |
| 2021 | 113 | 111 |
| 2022 | 119 | 119 |
| 2023 | 129 | 127 |
| 2024 | 133 | 138 |
| 2025 | 142 | 151 |
| August 2026 | 152 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £647 a month in Cheshire East and £567 in Liverpool. Now it is £985 and £913: up 52% in Cheshire East and up 61% in Liverpool. Rents have risen faster in Liverpool.
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 Cheshire East to Liverpool
| Earning in Cheshire East | Equivalent to buy in Liverpool | Equivalent to rent in Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,000 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £30,500 | £38,000 |
| £50,000 | £38,000 | £47,500 |
| £60,000 | £45,500 | £57,000 |
Moving from Liverpool to Cheshire East
| Earning in Liverpool | Equivalent to buy in Cheshire East | Equivalent to rent in Cheshire East |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £39,500 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £52,500 | £42,000 |
| £50,000 | £66,000 | £53,000 |
| £60,000 | £79,000 | £63,500 |