Dartford vs Manchester: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £104,000 (41%) more in Dartford than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Dartford: it takes 8.2× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Manchester.
At a glance
| Dartford | Manchester | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | – | 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 18% lower than in Dartford (£44,091), while a typical terraced house costs 29% less (£256,000 against £360,000). Set against local pay, Manchester is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.2× annual pay in Dartford and 7.1× in Manchester. Renting one takes 43% of pay in Dartford and 46% in Manchester. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Dartford, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Manchester.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Dartford is the 119th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive). For renting against pay, Dartford is the 61st most expensive of 316 areas and Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Dartford would need about £28,500 in Manchester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £35,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Manchester 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.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Dartford | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £44,091 | £36,278 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.2× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 61% | 71% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 43% | 46% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Dartford | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £627,500 | £400,000 | -36% in Manchester |
| Semi-detached | £437,500 | £310,000 | -29% in Manchester |
| Terraced | £360,000 | £256,000 | -29% in Manchester |
| Flat | £225,000 | £210,000 | -7% in Manchester |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Dartford | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,297 | £1,878 | -18% in Manchester |
| Semi-detached | £1,705 | £1,496 | -12% in Manchester |
| Terraced | £1,578 | £1,405 | -11% in Manchester |
| Flat | £1,277 | £1,147 | -10% in Manchester |
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 | Dartford | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 117 |
| 2007 | 113 | 129 |
| 2008 | 112 | 125 |
| 2009 | 98 | 112 |
| 2010 | 103 | 115 |
| 2011 | 101 | 114 |
| 2012 | 106 | 115 |
| 2013 | 109 | 115 |
| 2014 | 123 | 125 |
| 2015 | 139 | 133 |
| 2016 | 157 | 145 |
| 2017 | 167 | 158 |
| 2018 | 167 | 167 |
| 2019 | 168 | 173 |
| 2020 | 172 | 178 |
| 2021 | 178 | 209 |
| 2022 | 189 | 231 |
| 2023 | 192 | 233 |
| 2024 | 189 | 241 |
| 2025 | 193 | 247 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 193 | 251 |
In 2005 the average home cost £182,505 in Dartford and £100,202 in Manchester. Now it is £352,187 and £251,205: Dartford is up 93% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Dartford | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.4 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.5 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.7 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 8.3 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.0 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.4 years of pay in Dartford and 4.8 years in Manchester. In 2025 it was 8.0 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Dartford | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 101 |
| 2017 | 112 | 106 |
| 2018 | 114 | 112 |
| 2019 | 117 | 114 |
| 2020 | 118 | 117 |
| 2021 | 123 | 120 |
| 2022 | 129 | 127 |
| 2023 | 138 | 139 |
| 2024 | 151 | 156 |
| 2025 | 162 | 167 |
| August 2026 | 169 | 174 |
In 2015 the average rent was £934 a month in Dartford and £790 in Manchester. Now it is £1,575 and £1,373: up 69% in Dartford 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 Dartford to Manchester
| Earning in Dartford | Equivalent to buy in Manchester | Equivalent to rent in Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £21,500 | £26,500 |
| £40,000 | £28,500 | £35,500 |
| £50,000 | £35,500 | £44,500 |
| £60,000 | £42,500 | £53,500 |
Moving from Manchester to Dartford
| Earning in Manchester | Equivalent to buy in Dartford | Equivalent to rent in Dartford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £42,000 | £33,500 |
| £40,000 | £56,500 | £45,000 |
| £50,000 | £70,500 | £56,000 |
| £60,000 | £84,500 | £67,500 |