Pay vs Place

Cornwall vs Manchester: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £26,000 (11%) more in Manchester than in Cornwall. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Manchester: it takes 7.1× median annual pay, against 6.6× in Cornwall.

Cornwall, terraced
£230,000
Income typically needed: £46,000
Median full-time pay: £35,002
Manchester, terraced
£256,000
Income typically needed: £51,000
Median full-time pay: £36,278

At a glance

Cornwall Manchester
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime About average 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 4% higher than in Cornwall (£35,002), while a typical terraced house costs 11% more (£256,000 against £230,000). Set against local pay, Cornwall is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 6.6× annual pay in Cornwall and 7.1× in Manchester. Renting one takes 35% of pay in Cornwall and 46% in Manchester. Both are harder in Manchester, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Cornwall is around the middle of 316 areas (136th most expensive) to buy in, and Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive). For renting against pay, Cornwall is around the middle of 316 areas (142nd most expensive) and Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Cornwall would need about £44,500 in Manchester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £54,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Manchester 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 62.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cornwall and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident in Manchester is 2.3 times the rate in Cornwall. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.6 per 1,000 in Cornwall against 7.9 in Manchester.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Cornwall Manchester
Median full-time pay £35,002 £36,278
House price ÷ pay 6.6× 7.1×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 76% 71%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 35% 46%

Buying, by property type

Type Cornwall Manchester Difference
Detached £399,950 £400,000 +0% in Manchester
Semi-detached £265,000 £310,000 +17% in Manchester
Terraced £230,000 £256,000 +11% in Manchester
Flat £175,000 £210,000 +20% in Manchester

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Cornwall Manchester Difference
Detached £1,278 £1,878 +47% in Manchester
Semi-detached £1,070 £1,496 +40% in Manchester
Terraced £1,033 £1,405 +36% in Manchester
Flat £810 £1,147 +42% in Manchester

Crime

Police recorded 62.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cornwall and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident in Manchester is 2.3 times the rate in Cornwall.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Cornwall Manchester Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 62.7 142.7 +127% in Manchester
Violence against the person 29.7 51.9 +75% in Manchester
Sexual offences 3.5 5.6 +61% in Manchester
Robbery 0.3 2.7 +700% in Manchester
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 2.6 9.3 +259% in Manchester
Vehicle offences 1.6 7.9 +409% in Manchester
Theft from the person 0.3 3.9 +1094% in Manchester
Criminal damage and arson 7.5 10.0 +34% 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.

Cornwall: 156Manchester: 251
House prices in Cornwall and Manchester since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cornwall now 156, Manchester now 251.5010015020025030020052010201520202025House prices in Cornwall and Manchester since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cornwall now 156, Manchester now 251.5010015020025030020102020
Show the figures
YearCornwallManchester
2005100100
2006105117
2007114129
2008110125
200999112
2010106115
2011104114
2012103115
2013104115
2014107125
2015112133
2016114145
2017118158
2018124167
2019126173
2020131178
2021144209
2022163231
2023164233
2024159241
2025156247
12 months to July 2026156251

In 2005 the average home cost £178,433 in Cornwall and £100,202 in Manchester. Now it is £278,852 and £251,205: Cornwall is up 56% 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.

Cornwall: 7.9 years of payManchester: 6.8 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cornwall and ManchesterCornwall now 7.9, Manchester now 6.8 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cornwall and ManchesterCornwall now 7.9, Manchester now 6.8 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCornwallManchester
20059.4 years of pay4.8 years of pay
20108.6 years of pay5.0 years of pay
20158.6 years of pay5.4 years of pay
20208.6 years of pay6.3 years of pay
20257.9 years of pay6.8 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 9.4 years of pay in Cornwall and 4.8 years in Manchester. In 2025 it was 7.9 years and 6.8 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Manchester over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Cornwall: 147Manchester: 174
Rents in Cornwall and Manchester since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cornwall now 147, Manchester now 174.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Cornwall and Manchester since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cornwall now 147, Manchester now 174.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearCornwallManchester
2015100100
2016101101
2017103106
2018106112
2019109114
2020112117
2021114120
2022119127
2023127139
2024133156
2025143167
August 2026147174

In 2015 the average rent was £678 a month in Cornwall and £790 in Manchester. Now it is £1,000 and £1,373: up 47% in Cornwall 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 (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.

Moving from Cornwall to Manchester

Earning in Cornwall Equivalent to buy in Manchester Equivalent to rent in Manchester
£30,000 £33,500 £41,000
£40,000 £44,500 £54,500
£50,000 £55,500 £68,000
£60,000 £67,000 £81,500

Moving from Manchester to Cornwall

Earning in Manchester Equivalent to buy in Cornwall Equivalent to rent in Cornwall
£30,000 £27,000 £22,000
£40,000 £36,000 £29,500
£50,000 £45,000 £37,000
£60,000 £54,000 £44,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Cornwall figures · All Manchester figures