Kensington and Chelsea vs Manchester: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £2,769,000 (1082%) more in Kensington and Chelsea than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Kensington and Chelsea: it takes 57.5× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Manchester.
At a glance
| Kensington and Chelsea | Manchester | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | High | 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 31% lower than in Kensington and Chelsea (£52,576), while a typical terraced house costs 92% less (£256,000 against £3,025,000). Set against local pay, Manchester is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 57.5× annual pay in Kensington and Chelsea and 7.1× in Manchester. Renting one takes 103% of pay in Kensington and Chelsea and 46% in Manchester. Both are harder in Kensington and Chelsea, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Kensington and Chelsea is the most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive). For renting against pay, Kensington and Chelsea is the most expensive of 316 areas and Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Kensington and Chelsea would need about £3,500 in Manchester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £12,500 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 145.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Kensington and Chelsea and 142.7 in Manchester: about the same. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 14.6 per 1,000 in Kensington and Chelsea against 7.9 in Manchester.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Kensington and Chelsea | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £52,576 | £36,278 |
| House price ÷ pay | 57.5× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 9% | 71% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 103% | 46% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Kensington and Chelsea | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £3,025,000 | £256,000 | -92% in Manchester |
| Flat | £860,000 | £210,000 | -76% in Manchester |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Kensington and Chelsea | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £4,500 | £1,405 | -69% in Manchester |
| Flat | £3,069 | £1,147 | -63% in Manchester |
Crime
Police recorded 145.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Kensington and Chelsea and 142.7 in Manchester: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Kensington and Chelsea | Manchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 145.8 | 142.7 | -2% in Manchester |
| Violence against the person | 31.8 | 51.9 | +63% in Manchester |
| Sexual offences | 4.1 | 5.6 | +38% in Manchester |
| Robbery | 4.2 | 2.7 | -36% in Manchester |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.4 | 9.3 | -19% in Manchester |
| Vehicle offences | 14.6 | 7.9 | -45% in Manchester |
| Theft from the person | 12.8 | 3.9 | -69% in Manchester |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.9 | 10.0 | +46% 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 | Kensington and Chelsea | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 115 | 117 |
| 2007 | 144 | 129 |
| 2008 | 151 | 125 |
| 2009 | 136 | 112 |
| 2010 | 161 | 115 |
| 2011 | 175 | 114 |
| 2012 | 194 | 115 |
| 2013 | 217 | 115 |
| 2014 | 248 | 125 |
| 2015 | 250 | 133 |
| 2016 | 245 | 145 |
| 2017 | 258 | 158 |
| 2018 | 262 | 167 |
| 2019 | 238 | 173 |
| 2020 | 254 | 178 |
| 2021 | 258 | 209 |
| 2022 | 278 | 231 |
| 2023 | 262 | 233 |
| 2024 | 247 | 241 |
| 2025 | 246 | 247 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 236 | 251 |
In 2005 the average home cost £562,861 in Kensington and Chelsea and £100,202 in Manchester. Now it is £1,327,221 and £251,205: Kensington and Chelsea is up 136% and Manchester is up 151%. Prices have risen faster in Manchester, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Kensington and Chelsea | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 101 |
| 2017 | 110 | 106 |
| 2018 | 102 | 112 |
| 2019 | 102 | 114 |
| 2020 | 102 | 117 |
| 2021 | 98 | 120 |
| 2022 | 102 | 127 |
| 2023 | 115 | 139 |
| 2024 | 125 | 156 |
| 2025 | 134 | 167 |
| August 2026 | 136 | 174 |
In 2015 the average rent was £2,713 a month in Kensington and Chelsea and £790 in Manchester. Now it is £3,690 and £1,373: up 36% in Kensington and Chelsea 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 Kensington and Chelsea to Manchester
| Earning in Kensington and Chelsea | Equivalent to buy in Manchester | Equivalent to rent in Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £2,500 | £9,500 |
| £40,000 | £3,500 | £12,500 |
| £50,000 | £4,000 | £15,500 |
| £60,000 | £5,000 | £18,500 |
Moving from Manchester to Kensington and Chelsea
| Earning in Manchester | Equivalent to buy in Kensington and Chelsea | Equivalent to rent in Kensington and Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £354,500 | £96,000 |
| £40,000 | £472,500 | £128,000 |
| £50,000 | £591,000 | £160,000 |
| £60,000 | £709,000 | £192,000 |