Pay vs Place

Hastings vs Manchester: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £14,000 (5%) more in Hastings than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Hastings: it takes 7.8× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Manchester.

Hastings, terraced
£270,000
Income typically needed: £54,000
Median full-time pay: £34,714
Manchester, terraced
£256,000
Income typically needed: £51,000
Median full-time pay: £36,278

At a glance

Hastings Manchester
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime Above 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% higher than in Hastings (£34,714), while a typical terraced house costs 5% less (£256,000 against £270,000). Set against local pay, Manchester is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 7.8× annual pay in Hastings and 7.1× in Manchester. Renting one takes 36% of pay in Hastings and 46% in Manchester. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Hastings, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Manchester.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Hastings is around the middle of 316 areas (140th most expensive) to buy in, and Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive). For renting against pay, Hastings is around the middle of 316 areas (132nd most expensive) and Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Hastings would need about £38,000 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 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 110.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Hastings and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident is 30% higher in Manchester. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.0 per 1,000 in Hastings against 9.3 in Manchester.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Hastings Manchester
Median full-time pay £34,714 £36,278
House price ÷ pay 7.8× 7.1×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 64% 71%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 36% 46%

Buying, by property type

Type Hastings Manchester Difference
Detached £400,000 £400,000 0% in Manchester
Semi-detached £310,000 £310,000 0% in Manchester
Terraced £270,000 £256,000 -5% in Manchester
Flat £169,225 £210,000 +24% in Manchester

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Hastings Manchester Difference
Detached £1,372 £1,878 +37% in Manchester
Semi-detached £1,138 £1,496 +31% in Manchester
Terraced £1,035 £1,405 +36% in Manchester
Flat £793 £1,147 +45% in Manchester

Crime

Police recorded 110.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Hastings and 142.7 in Manchester, so recorded crime per resident is 30% higher in Manchester.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Hastings Manchester Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 110.0 142.7 +30% in Manchester
Violence against the person 39.4 51.9 +32% in Manchester
Sexual offences 4.5 5.6 +25% in Manchester
Robbery 1.8 2.7 +49% in Manchester
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.0 9.3 +132% in Manchester
Vehicle offences 5.6 7.9 +41% in Manchester
Theft from the person 0.5 3.9 +738% in Manchester
Criminal damage and arson 9.8 10.0 +3% 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.

Hastings: 187Manchester: 251
House prices in Hastings and Manchester since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Hastings now 187, Manchester now 251.5010015020025030020052010201520202025House prices in Hastings and Manchester since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Hastings now 187, Manchester now 251.5010015020025030020102020
Show the figures
YearHastingsManchester
2005100100
2006104117
2007115129
2008111125
200997112
2010104115
2011102114
2012105115
2013105115
2014115125
2015124133
2016142145
2017153158
2018159167
2019163173
2020166178
2021187209
2022210231
2023204233
2024197241
2025191247
12 months to July 2026187251

In 2005 the average home cost £128,414 in Hastings and £100,202 in Manchester. Now it is £240,240 and £251,205: Hastings is up 87% 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.

Hastings: 7.1 years of payManchester: 6.8 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Hastings and ManchesterHastings now 7.1, 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 Hastings and ManchesterHastings now 7.1, Manchester now 6.8 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearHastingsManchester
20057.0 years of pay4.8 years of pay
20106.2 years of pay5.0 years of pay
20156.5 years of pay5.4 years of pay
20208.3 years of pay6.3 years of pay
20257.1 years of pay6.8 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Hastings and 4.8 years in Manchester. In 2025 it was 7.1 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.

Hastings: 162Manchester: 174
Rents in Hastings and Manchester since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Hastings now 162, Manchester now 174.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Hastings and Manchester since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Hastings now 162, Manchester now 174.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearHastingsManchester
2015100100
2016104101
2017112106
2018117112
2019121114
2020125117
2021129120
2022136127
2023143139
2024151156
2025160167
August 2026162174

In 2015 the average rent was £620 a month in Hastings and £790 in Manchester. Now it is £1,007 and £1,373: up 62% in Hastings 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 Hastings to Manchester

Earning in Hastings Equivalent to buy in Manchester Equivalent to rent in Manchester
£30,000 £28,500 £40,500
£40,000 £38,000 £54,500
£50,000 £47,500 £68,000
£60,000 £57,000 £81,500

Moving from Manchester to Hastings

Earning in Manchester Equivalent to buy in Hastings Equivalent to rent in Hastings
£30,000 £31,500 £22,000
£40,000 £42,000 £29,500
£50,000 £52,500 £37,000
£60,000 £63,500 £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 Hastings figures · All Manchester figures