Cheshire East vs Trafford: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £126,910 (58%) more in Trafford than in Cheshire East. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Trafford: it takes 8.0× median annual pay, against 5.3× in Cheshire East.
At a glance
| Cheshire East | Trafford | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | About 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 Trafford (£42,973) is 5% higher than in Cheshire East (£40,991), while a typical terraced house costs 58% more (£343,910 against £217,000). Set against local pay, Cheshire East 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 8.0× in Trafford. Renting one takes 28% of pay in Cheshire East and 38% in Trafford. Both are harder in Trafford, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Cheshire East is around the middle of 316 areas (177th most expensive) to buy in, and Trafford is the 100th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cheshire East is the 104th least expensive of 316 areas and Trafford is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Cheshire East would need about £63,500 in Trafford to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £56,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Trafford 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 61.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cheshire East and 74.9 in Trafford, so recorded crime per resident is 23% higher in Trafford. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.7 per 1,000 in Cheshire East against 4.5 in Trafford.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Cheshire East | Trafford |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £40,991 | £42,973 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.3× | 8.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 94% | 62% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 28% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Cheshire East | Trafford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £448,000 | £684,000 | +53% in Trafford |
| Semi-detached | £268,500 | £405,000 | +51% in Trafford |
| Terraced | £217,000 | £343,910 | +58% in Trafford |
| Flat | £159,000 | £195,000 | +23% in Trafford |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Cheshire East | Trafford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,432 | £2,044 | +43% in Trafford |
| Semi-detached | £1,089 | £1,521 | +40% in Trafford |
| Terraced | £968 | £1,357 | +40% in Trafford |
| Flat | £821 | £1,120 | +36% in Trafford |
Crime
Police recorded 61.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cheshire East and 74.9 in Trafford, so recorded crime per resident is 23% higher in Trafford.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Cheshire East | Trafford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 61.0 | 74.9 | +23% in Trafford |
| Violence against the person | 26.7 | 27.0 | +1% in Trafford |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 2.9 | -9% in Trafford |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 1.0 | +206% in Trafford |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.9 | 5.5 | +41% in Trafford |
| Vehicle offences | 1.7 | 4.5 | +163% in Trafford |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 0.6 | +273% in Trafford |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.4 | 5.4 | +24% in Trafford |
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 | Trafford |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 104 |
| 2007 | 114 | 111 |
| 2008 | 111 | 109 |
| 2009 | 101 | 99 |
| 2010 | 107 | 107 |
| 2011 | 105 | 105 |
| 2012 | 103 | 106 |
| 2013 | 106 | 108 |
| 2014 | 113 | 117 |
| 2015 | 116 | 128 |
| 2016 | 123 | 140 |
| 2017 | 126 | 150 |
| 2018 | 132 | 158 |
| 2019 | 135 | 164 |
| 2020 | 139 | 171 |
| 2021 | 150 | 184 |
| 2022 | 163 | 201 |
| 2023 | 167 | 205 |
| 2024 | 172 | 208 |
| 2025 | 181 | 213 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 184 | 218 |
In 2005 the average home cost £162,970 in Cheshire East and £175,196 in Trafford. Now it is £299,566 and £382,772: Cheshire East is up 84% and Trafford is up 118%. Prices have risen faster in Trafford, so the gap between the two has widened.
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 | Trafford |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | – | 6.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.7 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.8 years of pay | 7.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.0 years of pay | 8.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.2 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 6.7 years of pay in Cheshire East and 6.7 years in Trafford. In 2025 it was 7.2 years and 8.7 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Trafford 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 | Cheshire East | Trafford |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 104 |
| 2017 | 104 | 108 |
| 2018 | 107 | 109 |
| 2019 | 108 | 110 |
| 2020 | 110 | 112 |
| 2021 | 113 | 117 |
| 2022 | 119 | 127 |
| 2023 | 129 | 136 |
| 2024 | 133 | 151 |
| 2025 | 142 | 165 |
| August 2026 | 152 | 169 |
In 2015 the average rent was £647 a month in Cheshire East and £808 in Trafford. Now it is £985 and £1,369: up 52% in Cheshire East and up 69% in Trafford. Rents have risen faster in Trafford.
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 Trafford
| Earning in Cheshire East | Equivalent to buy in Trafford | Equivalent to rent in Trafford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £47,500 | £42,000 |
| £40,000 | £63,500 | £56,000 |
| £50,000 | £79,000 | £70,000 |
| £60,000 | £95,000 | £84,000 |
Moving from Trafford to Cheshire East
| Earning in Trafford | Equivalent to buy in Cheshire East | Equivalent to rent in Cheshire East |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £19,000 | £21,500 |
| £40,000 | £25,000 | £28,500 |
| £50,000 | £31,500 | £35,500 |
| £60,000 | £38,000 | £43,000 |