High Peak vs Melton: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £37,000 (20%) more in High Peak than in Melton. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in High Peak: it takes 5.9× median annual pay, against 5.4× in Melton.
At a glance
| High Peak | Melton | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Low | Low |
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 Melton (£33,900) is 9% lower than in High Peak (£37,184), while a typical terraced house costs 17% less (£183,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Melton is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 5.9× annual pay in High Peak and 5.4× in Melton. Renting one takes 29% of pay in High Peak and 27% in Melton. Both are harder in High Peak, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, High Peak is around the middle of 316 areas (190th most expensive) to buy in, and Melton is around the middle of 316 areas (146th most expensive). For renting against pay, High Peak is the 124th least expensive of 316 areas and Melton is the 95th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in High Peak would need about £33,500 in Melton to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £34,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Melton 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 59.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in High Peak and 56.8 in Melton, so recorded crime per resident is 4% lower in Melton. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.4 per 1,000 in High Peak against 3.1 in Melton.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | High Peak | Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,184 | £33,900 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.9× | 5.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 85% | 93% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 29% | 27% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | High Peak | Melton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £438,500 | £377,500 | -14% in Melton |
| Semi-detached | £280,000 | £235,000 | -16% in Melton |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £183,000 | -17% in Melton |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | High Peak | Melton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,309 | £1,099 | -16% in Melton |
| Semi-detached | £969 | £839 | -13% in Melton |
| Terraced | £892 | £759 | -15% in Melton |
Crime
Police recorded 59.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in High Peak and 56.8 in Melton, so recorded crime per resident is 4% lower in Melton.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | High Peak | Melton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 59.1 | 56.8 | -4% in Melton |
| Violence against the person | 24.9 | 22.1 | -11% in Melton |
| Sexual offences | 3.3 | 2.8 | -15% in Melton |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 0.2 | -44% in Melton |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.4 | 3.1 | -29% in Melton |
| Vehicle offences | 2.5 | 2.7 | +11% in Melton |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.3 | +35% in Melton |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 6.3 | +10% in Melton |
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 | High Peak | Melton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 104 |
| 2007 | 113 | 116 |
| 2008 | 111 | 109 |
| 2009 | 99 | 98 |
| 2010 | 102 | 103 |
| 2011 | 101 | 104 |
| 2012 | 101 | 106 |
| 2013 | 101 | 105 |
| 2014 | 106 | 112 |
| 2015 | 110 | 118 |
| 2016 | 117 | 125 |
| 2017 | 122 | 133 |
| 2018 | 127 | 138 |
| 2019 | 130 | 140 |
| 2020 | 135 | 143 |
| 2021 | 148 | 154 |
| 2022 | 165 | 163 |
| 2023 | 170 | 166 |
| 2024 | 172 | 160 |
| 2025 | 177 | 175 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 182 | 176 |
In 2005 the average home cost £141,093 in High Peak and £164,205 in Melton. Now it is £256,671 and £288,548: High Peak is up 82% and Melton is up 76%. Prices have risen faster in High Peak, 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 | High Peak | Melton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.2 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 6.9 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.1 years of pay | – |
| 2020 | 6.5 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.7 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.2 years of pay in High Peak and 6.6 years in Melton. In 2025 it was 6.7 years and 8.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Melton 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 | High Peak | Melton |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 101 |
| 2017 | 104 | 102 |
| 2018 | 107 | 104 |
| 2019 | 109 | 107 |
| 2020 | 113 | 112 |
| 2021 | 117 | 113 |
| 2022 | 125 | 119 |
| 2023 | 131 | 122 |
| 2024 | 143 | 132 |
| 2025 | 147 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 157 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £596 a month in High Peak and £535 in Melton. Now it is £937 and £806: up 57% in High Peak and up 51% in Melton. Rents have risen faster in High Peak.
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 High Peak to Melton
| Earning in High Peak | Equivalent to buy in Melton | Equivalent to rent in Melton |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £25,500 |
| £40,000 | £33,500 | £34,000 |
| £50,000 | £41,500 | £42,500 |
| £60,000 | £50,000 | £51,000 |
Moving from Melton to High Peak
| Earning in Melton | Equivalent to buy in High Peak | Equivalent to rent in High Peak |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,000 | £35,500 |
| £40,000 | £48,000 | £47,000 |
| £50,000 | £60,000 | £59,000 |
| £60,000 | £72,000 | £70,500 |