Pay vs Place

Fareham vs Manchester: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £44,000 (17%) more in Fareham than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.

Fareham, terraced
£300,000
Income typically needed: £60,000
Median full-time pay: £43,740
Manchester, terraced
£256,000
Income typically needed: £51,000
Median full-time pay: £36,278

At a glance

Fareham Manchester
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly affordable Very expensive
Recorded crime Low 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 17% lower than in Fareham (£43,740), while a typical terraced house costs 15% less (£256,000 against £300,000).

Buying a terraced house takes 6.9× annual pay in Fareham and 7.1× in Manchester. Renting one takes 32% of pay in Fareham and 46% in Manchester. Renting is harder in Manchester; buying is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Fareham is around the middle of 316 areas (148th most expensive) to buy in, and Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive). For renting against pay, Fareham is around the middle of 316 areas (169th most expensive) and Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Fareham would need about £34,000 in Manchester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £49,000 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.

Police recorded 52.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Fareham and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident in Manchester is 2.7 times the rate in Fareham. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 2.4 per 1,000 in Fareham against 9.3 in Manchester.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Fareham Manchester
Median full-time pay £43,740 £36,278
House price ÷ pay 6.9× 7.1×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 73% 71%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 32% 46%

Buying, by property type

Type Fareham Manchester Difference
Detached £507,500 £400,000 -21% in Manchester
Semi-detached £342,500 £310,000 -9% in Manchester
Terraced £300,000 £256,000 -15% in Manchester
Flat £175,000 £210,000 +20% in Manchester

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Fareham Manchester Difference
Detached £1,717 £1,878 +9% in Manchester
Semi-detached £1,285 £1,496 +16% in Manchester
Terraced £1,149 £1,405 +22% in Manchester
Flat £974 £1,147 +18% in Manchester

Crime

Police recorded 52.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Fareham and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident in Manchester is 2.7 times the rate in Fareham.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Fareham Manchester Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 52.0 142.7 +175% in Manchester
Violence against the person 22.6 51.9 +130% in Manchester
Sexual offences 2.6 5.6 +113% in Manchester
Robbery 0.5 2.7 +413% in Manchester
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 2.4 9.3 +291% in Manchester
Vehicle offences 2.0 7.9 +287% in Manchester
Theft from the person 0.2 3.9 +1542% in Manchester
Criminal damage and arson 4.1 10.0 +147% 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.

Fareham: 186Manchester: 251
House prices in Fareham and Manchester since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Fareham now 186, Manchester now 251.10015020025030020052010201520202025House prices in Fareham and Manchester since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Fareham now 186, Manchester now 251.10015020025030020102020
Show the figures
YearFarehamManchester
2005100100
2006104117
2007114129
2008112125
2009100112
2010109115
2011109114
2012110115
2013111115
2014120125
2015130133
2016142145
2017150158
2018155167
2019155173
2020158178
2021171209
2022188231
2023188233
2024184241
2025185247
12 months to July 2026186251

In 2005 the average home cost £177,519 in Fareham and £100,202 in Manchester. Now it is £329,384 and £251,205: Fareham is up 86% 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.

Fareham: 7.5 years of payManchester: 6.8 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Fareham and ManchesterFareham now 7.5, 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 Fareham and ManchesterFareham now 7.5, Manchester now 6.8 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearFarehamManchester
20057.4 years of pay4.8 years of pay
20107.0 years of pay5.0 years of pay
20157.7 years of pay5.4 years of pay
20208.5 years of pay6.3 years of pay
20257.5 years of pay6.8 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.4 years of pay in Fareham and 4.8 years in Manchester. In 2025 it was 7.5 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.

Fareham: 150Manchester: 174
Rents in Fareham and Manchester since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Fareham now 150, Manchester now 174.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Fareham and Manchester since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Fareham now 150, Manchester now 174.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearFarehamManchester
2015100100
2016105101
2017109106
2018111112
2019114114
2020116117
2021119120
2022122127
2023130139
2024141156
2025149167
August 2026150174

In 2015 the average rent was £783 a month in Fareham and £790 in Manchester. Now it is £1,176 and £1,373: up 50% in Fareham 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 Fareham to Manchester

Earning in Fareham Equivalent to buy in Manchester Equivalent to rent in Manchester
£30,000 £25,500 £36,500
£40,000 £34,000 £49,000
£50,000 £42,500 £61,000
£60,000 £51,000 £73,500

Moving from Manchester to Fareham

Earning in Manchester Equivalent to buy in Fareham Equivalent to rent in Fareham
£30,000 £35,000 £24,500
£40,000 £47,000 £32,500
£50,000 £58,500 £41,000
£60,000 £70,500 £49,000
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 Fareham figures · All Manchester figures