Cheshire West and Chester vs West Lancashire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £35,000 (21%) more in Cheshire West and Chester than in West Lancashire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cheshire West and Chester: it takes 4.8× median annual pay, against 4.3× in West Lancashire.
At a glance
| Cheshire West and Chester | 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 8% lower than in Cheshire West and Chester (£41,486), while a typical terraced house costs 18% less (£165,000 against £200,000). Set against local pay, West Lancashire is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.8× annual pay in Cheshire West and Chester and 4.3× in West Lancashire. Renting one takes 28% of pay in Cheshire West and Chester and 26% in West Lancashire. Both are harder in Cheshire West and Chester, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Cheshire West and Chester is the 85th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and West Lancashire is the 98th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cheshire West and Chester is the 98th least expensive of 316 areas and West Lancashire is the 38th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Cheshire West and Chester would need about £33,000 in West Lancashire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £33,500 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 66.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cheshire West and Chester and 48.6 in West Lancashire, so recorded crime per resident is 27% lower in West Lancashire. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.0 per 1,000 in Cheshire West and Chester against 4.6 in West Lancashire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Cheshire West and Chester | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,486 | £38,102 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.8× | 4.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 104% | 115% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 28% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Cheshire West and Chester | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £390,000 | £375,000 | -4% in West Lancashire |
| Semi-detached | £250,000 | £235,000 | -6% in West Lancashire |
| Terraced | £200,000 | £165,000 | -18% in West Lancashire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Cheshire West and Chester | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,400 | £1,148 | -18% in West Lancashire |
| Semi-detached | £1,123 | £833 | -26% in West Lancashire |
| Terraced | £979 | £816 | -17% in West Lancashire |
Crime
Police recorded 66.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cheshire West and Chester and 48.6 in West Lancashire, so recorded crime per resident is 27% lower in West Lancashire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Cheshire West and Chester | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 66.8 | 48.6 | -27% in West Lancashire |
| Violence against the person | 30.4 | 21.8 | -28% in West Lancashire |
| Sexual offences | 3.6 | 2.5 | -30% in West Lancashire |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 0.6 | +54% in West Lancashire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.0 | 4.6 | +56% in West Lancashire |
| Vehicle offences | 1.4 | 2.1 | +51% in West Lancashire |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.2 | -27% in West Lancashire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.7 | 5.4 | +14% 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 | Cheshire West and Chester | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 111 | 118 |
| 2008 | 108 | 113 |
| 2009 | 100 | 108 |
| 2010 | 104 | 111 |
| 2011 | 101 | 112 |
| 2012 | 100 | 108 |
| 2013 | 102 | 108 |
| 2014 | 105 | 110 |
| 2015 | 110 | 112 |
| 2016 | 116 | 120 |
| 2017 | 118 | 123 |
| 2018 | 122 | 127 |
| 2019 | 125 | 128 |
| 2020 | 129 | 129 |
| 2021 | 143 | 137 |
| 2022 | 155 | 148 |
| 2023 | 159 | 156 |
| 2024 | 162 | 163 |
| 2025 | 167 | 166 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 170 | 171 |
In 2005 the average home cost £155,256 in Cheshire West and Chester and £137,815 in West Lancashire. Now it is £264,425 and £235,697: Cheshire West and Chester is up 70% and West Lancashire is up 71%.
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 West and Chester | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | – | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.6 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.0 years of pay | 5.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.4 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.2 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 5.6 years of pay in Cheshire West and Chester and 6.0 years in West Lancashire. In 2025 it was 6.2 years and 6.0 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Cheshire West and Chester 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 West and Chester | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 101 |
| 2017 | 103 | 103 |
| 2018 | 104 | 103 |
| 2019 | 106 | 103 |
| 2020 | 107 | 102 |
| 2021 | 110 | 101 |
| 2022 | 116 | 102 |
| 2023 | 128 | 108 |
| 2024 | 138 | 117 |
| 2025 | 149 | 131 |
| August 2026 | 160 | 140 |
In 2015 the average rent was £619 a month in Cheshire West and Chester and £573 in West Lancashire. Now it is £991 and £805: up 60% in Cheshire West and Chester and up 40% in West Lancashire. Rents have risen faster in Cheshire West and Chester.
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 West and Chester to West Lancashire
| Earning in Cheshire West and Chester | Equivalent to buy in West Lancashire | Equivalent to rent in West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £25,000 |
| £40,000 | £33,000 | £33,500 |
| £50,000 | £41,500 | £41,500 |
| £60,000 | £49,500 | £50,000 |
Moving from West Lancashire to Cheshire West and Chester
| Earning in West Lancashire | Equivalent to buy in Cheshire West and Chester | Equivalent to rent in Cheshire West and Chester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,500 | £36,000 |
| £40,000 | £48,500 | £48,000 |
| £50,000 | £60,500 | £60,000 |
| £60,000 | £72,500 | £72,000 |
All Cheshire West and Chester figures · All West Lancashire figures