Harlow vs Manchester: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £79,000 (31%) more in Harlow than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Harlow: it takes 8.7× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Manchester.
At a glance
| Harlow | Manchester | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very 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 5% lower than in Harlow (£38,380), while a typical terraced house costs 24% less (£256,000 against £335,000). Set against local pay, Manchester is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.7× annual pay in Harlow and 7.1× in Manchester. Renting one takes 47% of pay in Harlow and 46% in Manchester. Buying is harder in Harlow; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Harlow is the 98th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive). For renting against pay, Harlow is the 35th most expensive of 316 areas and Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Harlow would need about £30,500 in Manchester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £37,500 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.
Police recorded 92.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Harlow and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident is 54% higher in Manchester. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.1 per 1,000 in Harlow against 9.3 in Manchester.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Harlow | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,380 | £36,278 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.7× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 57% | 71% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 47% | 46% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Harlow | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £537,000 | £400,000 | -26% in Manchester |
| Semi-detached | £425,000 | £310,000 | -27% in Manchester |
| Terraced | £335,000 | £256,000 | -24% in Manchester |
| Flat | £215,000 | £210,000 | -2% in Manchester |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Harlow | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,182 | £1,878 | -14% in Manchester |
| Semi-detached | £1,684 | £1,496 | -11% in Manchester |
| Terraced | £1,508 | £1,405 | -7% in Manchester |
| Flat | £1,127 | £1,147 | +2% in Manchester |
Crime
Police recorded 92.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Harlow and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident is 54% higher in Manchester.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Harlow | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 92.4 | 142.7 | +54% in Manchester |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 51.9 | +42% in Manchester |
| Sexual offences | 3.7 | 5.6 | +53% in Manchester |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 2.7 | +150% in Manchester |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.1 | 9.3 | +81% in Manchester |
| Vehicle offences | 5.5 | 7.9 | +44% in Manchester |
| Theft from the person | 0.7 | 3.9 | +471% in Manchester |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.9 | 10.0 | +27% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Harlow | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 117 |
| 2007 | 111 | 129 |
| 2008 | 110 | 125 |
| 2009 | 99 | 112 |
| 2010 | 103 | 115 |
| 2011 | 105 | 114 |
| 2012 | 107 | 115 |
| 2013 | 110 | 115 |
| 2014 | 120 | 125 |
| 2015 | 138 | 133 |
| 2016 | 160 | 145 |
| 2017 | 170 | 158 |
| 2018 | 173 | 167 |
| 2019 | 172 | 173 |
| 2020 | 172 | 178 |
| 2021 | 176 | 209 |
| 2022 | 191 | 231 |
| 2023 | 194 | 233 |
| 2024 | 191 | 241 |
| 2025 | 189 | 247 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 192 | 251 |
In 2005 the average home cost £162,541 in Harlow and £100,202 in Manchester. Now it is £311,939 and £251,205: Harlow is up 92% 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 | Harlow | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.6 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.6 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | – | 5.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.1 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.0 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.6 years of pay in Harlow 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 | Harlow | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 101 |
| 2017 | 112 | 106 |
| 2018 | 116 | 112 |
| 2019 | 119 | 114 |
| 2020 | 121 | 117 |
| 2021 | 126 | 120 |
| 2022 | 131 | 127 |
| 2023 | 134 | 139 |
| 2024 | 146 | 156 |
| 2025 | 159 | 167 |
| August 2026 | 168 | 174 |
In 2015 the average rent was £908 a month in Harlow and £790 in Manchester. Now it is £1,521 and £1,373: up 68% in Harlow 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 Harlow to Manchester
| Earning in Harlow | Equivalent to buy in Manchester | Equivalent to rent in Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,000 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £30,500 | £37,500 |
| £50,000 | £38,000 | £46,500 |
| £60,000 | £46,000 | £56,000 |
Moving from Manchester to Harlow
| Earning in Manchester | Equivalent to buy in Harlow | Equivalent to rent in Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £39,500 | £32,000 |
| £40,000 | £52,500 | £43,000 |
| £50,000 | £65,500 | £53,500 |
| £60,000 | £78,500 | £64,500 |