Pay vs Place

Liverpool vs York: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £110,000 (67%) more in York than in Liverpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in York: it takes 6.8× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Liverpool.

Liverpool, terraced
£165,000
Income typically needed: £33,000
Median full-time pay: £37,144
York, terraced
£275,000
Income typically needed: £55,000
Median full-time pay: £40,496

At a glance

Liverpool York
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly affordable Expensive
Recorded crime Above average About average

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 York (£40,496) is 9% higher than in Liverpool (£37,144), while a typical terraced house costs 67% more (£275,000 against £165,000). Set against local pay, Liverpool is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.4× annual pay in Liverpool and 6.8× in York. Renting one takes 30% of pay in Liverpool and 35% in York. Both are harder in York, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Liverpool is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and York is around the middle of 316 areas (170th most expensive). For renting against pay, Liverpool is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas and York is the 126th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Liverpool would need about £66,500 in York to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £52,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to York would leave you worse 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 124.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Liverpool and 65.7 in York, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in York. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 5.3 per 1,000 in Liverpool against 2.4 in York.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Liverpool York
Median full-time pay £37,144 £40,496
House price ÷ pay 4.4× 6.8×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 113% 74%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 30% 35%

Buying, by property type

Type Liverpool York Difference
Detached £380,000 £435,000 +14% in York
Semi-detached £240,000 £304,500 +27% in York
Terraced £165,000 £275,000 +67% in York
Flat £147,500 £192,000 +30% in York

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Liverpool York Difference
Detached £1,225 £1,561 +27% in York
Semi-detached £1,008 £1,287 +28% in York
Terraced £917 £1,191 +30% in York
Flat £786 £1,010 +28% in York

Crime

Police recorded 124.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Liverpool and 65.7 in York, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in York.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Liverpool York Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 124.1 65.7 -47% in York
Violence against the person 45.6 24.3 -47% in York
Sexual offences 4.1 3.0 -27% in York
Robbery 1.6 0.9 -43% in York
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.1 4.1 -32% in York
Vehicle offences 5.3 2.4 -55% in York
Theft from the person 1.2 0.4 -66% in York
Criminal damage and arson 10.3 6.5 -37% in York

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.

Liverpool: 183York: 183
House prices in Liverpool and York since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Liverpool now 183, York now 183.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Liverpool and York since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Liverpool now 183, York now 183.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearLiverpoolYork
2005100100
2006110105
2007117115
2008113109
2009104101
2010105107
2011101107
201299109
201399111
2014103119
2015107127
2016110135
2017115141
2018121144
2019123148
2020128151
2021148165
2022161180
2023163182
2024166184
2025179181
12 months to July 2026183183

In 2005 the average home cost £99,018 in Liverpool and £168,002 in York. Now it is £181,637 and £307,747: Liverpool is up 83% and York is up 83%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Liverpool: 4.8 years of payYork: 7.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Liverpool and YorkLiverpool now 4.8, York now 7.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Liverpool and YorkLiverpool now 4.8, York now 7.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearLiverpoolYork
20054.9 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20104.3 years of pay7.3 years of pay
20154.1 years of pay8.4 years of pay
20204.1 years of pay8.4 years of pay
20254.8 years of pay7.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Liverpool and 7.0 years in York. In 2025 it was 4.8 years and 7.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in York over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Liverpool: 161York: 153
Rents in Liverpool and York since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Liverpool now 161, York now 153.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Liverpool and York since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Liverpool now 161, York now 153.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearLiverpoolYork
2015100100
2016103104
2017104106
2018104108
2019105112
2020106110
2021111113
2022119117
2023127126
2024138139
2025151143
August 2026161153

In 2015 the average rent was £567 a month in Liverpool and £786 in York. Now it is £913 and £1,199: up 61% in Liverpool and up 53% in York. Rents have risen faster in Liverpool.

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 Liverpool to York

Earning in Liverpool Equivalent to buy in York Equivalent to rent in York
£30,000 £50,000 £39,000
£40,000 £66,500 £52,000
£50,000 £83,500 £65,000
£60,000 £100,000 £78,000

Moving from York to Liverpool

Earning in York Equivalent to buy in Liverpool Equivalent to rent in Liverpool
£30,000 £18,000 £23,000
£40,000 £24,000 £31,000
£50,000 £30,000 £38,500
£60,000 £36,000 £46,000
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 Liverpool figures · All York figures