Chorley vs Wirral: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £5,000 (3%) more in Chorley than in Wirral. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Chorley | Wirral | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Wirral (£38,010) is 3% lower than in Chorley (£39,350), while a typical terraced house costs 3% less (£167,000 against £172,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 4.4× annual pay in Chorley and 4.4× in Wirral. Renting one takes 24% of pay in Chorley and 27% in Wirral. Renting is harder in Wirral; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Chorley is the 55th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Wirral is the 69th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Chorley is the 32nd least expensive of 316 areas and Wirral is the 72nd least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Chorley would need about £39,000 in Wirral to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £44,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Wirral 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 58.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Chorley and 71.1 in Wirral, so recorded crime per resident is 21% higher in Wirral. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 5.9 per 1,000 in Chorley against 7.3 in Wirral.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Chorley | Wirral |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,350 | £38,010 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.4× | 4.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 114% | 114% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 24% | 27% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Chorley | Wirral | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £359,998 | £400,000 | +11% in Wirral |
| Semi-detached | £219,998 | £246,000 | +12% in Wirral |
| Terraced | £172,000 | £167,000 | -3% in Wirral |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Chorley | Wirral | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,093 | £1,189 | +9% in Wirral |
| Semi-detached | £890 | £947 | +6% in Wirral |
| Terraced | £788 | £868 | +10% in Wirral |
Crime
Police recorded 58.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Chorley and 71.1 in Wirral, so recorded crime per resident is 21% higher in Wirral.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Chorley | Wirral | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 58.6 | 71.1 | +21% in Wirral |
| Violence against the person | 27.7 | 30.7 | +11% in Wirral |
| Sexual offences | 2.9 | 2.8 | -3% in Wirral |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 0.7 | +32% in Wirral |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.4 | 4.0 | +17% in Wirral |
| Vehicle offences | 2.7 | 2.2 | -17% in Wirral |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.1 | -46% in Wirral |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.9 | 7.3 | +25% in Wirral |
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 | Chorley | Wirral |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 109 |
| 2007 | 113 | 114 |
| 2008 | 109 | 110 |
| 2009 | 102 | 100 |
| 2010 | 104 | 104 |
| 2011 | 101 | 102 |
| 2012 | 99 | 101 |
| 2013 | 100 | 100 |
| 2014 | 103 | 104 |
| 2015 | 107 | 107 |
| 2016 | 112 | 112 |
| 2017 | 116 | 117 |
| 2018 | 120 | 121 |
| 2019 | 124 | 123 |
| 2020 | 126 | 125 |
| 2021 | 139 | 143 |
| 2022 | 150 | 156 |
| 2023 | 155 | 159 |
| 2024 | 158 | 161 |
| 2025 | 161 | 166 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 166 | 173 |
In 2005 the average home cost £128,112 in Chorley and £125,893 in Wirral. Now it is £212,608 and £217,184: Chorley is up 66% and Wirral is up 73%. Prices have risen faster in Wirral, 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 | Chorley | Wirral |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.3 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.2 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.3 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.8 years of pay in Chorley and 5.3 years in Wirral. In 2025 it was 5.3 years and 5.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Wirral 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 | Chorley | Wirral |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 101 |
| 2017 | 104 | 101 |
| 2018 | 105 | 101 |
| 2019 | 107 | 104 |
| 2020 | 108 | 106 |
| 2021 | 111 | 109 |
| 2022 | 117 | 114 |
| 2023 | 123 | 121 |
| 2024 | 133 | 129 |
| 2025 | 142 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 153 | 150 |
In 2015 the average rent was £522 a month in Chorley and £571 in Wirral. Now it is £798 and £859: up 53% in Chorley and up 50% in Wirral.
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 Chorley to Wirral
| Earning in Chorley | Equivalent to buy in Wirral | Equivalent to rent in Wirral |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,000 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £44,000 |
| £50,000 | £48,500 | £55,000 |
| £60,000 | £58,500 | £66,000 |
Moving from Wirral to Chorley
| Earning in Wirral | Equivalent to buy in Chorley | Equivalent to rent in Chorley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,000 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £36,500 |
| £50,000 | £51,500 | £45,500 |
| £60,000 | £62,000 | £54,500 |