Manchester vs Neath Port Talbot: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £121,000 (90%) more in Manchester than in Neath Port Talbot. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Manchester: it takes 7.1× median annual pay, against 3.7× in Neath Port Talbot.
At a glance
| Manchester | Neath Port Talbot | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Affordable |
| Recorded crime | High | 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 Neath Port Talbot (£36,359) is the same than in Manchester (£36,278), while a typical terraced house costs 47% less (£135,000 against £256,000). Set against local pay, Neath Port Talbot is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.1× annual pay in Manchester and 3.7× in Neath Port Talbot. Renting one takes 46% of pay in Manchester and 23% in Neath Port Talbot. Both are harder in Manchester, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive) to buy in, and Neath Port Talbot is the 9th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas and Neath Port Talbot is the 10th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Manchester would need about £21,000 in Neath Port Talbot to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £19,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Neath Port Talbot 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 142.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Manchester and 67.3 in Neath Port Talbot, so recorded crime per resident is 53% lower in Neath Port Talbot. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 9.3 per 1,000 in Manchester against 2.3 in Neath Port Talbot.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Manchester | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,278 | £36,359 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.1× | 3.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 71% | 135% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 46% | 23% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Manchester | Neath Port Talbot | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | £272,500 | -32% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Semi-detached | £310,000 | £170,000 | -45% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Terraced | £256,000 | £135,000 | -47% in Neath Port Talbot |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Manchester | Neath Port Talbot | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,878 | £880 | -53% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Semi-detached | £1,496 | £730 | -51% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Terraced | £1,405 | £691 | -51% in Neath Port Talbot |
Crime
Police recorded 142.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Manchester and 67.3 in Neath Port Talbot, so recorded crime per resident is 53% lower in Neath Port Talbot.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Manchester | Neath Port Talbot | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 142.7 | 67.3 | -53% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Violence against the person | 51.9 | 31.2 | -40% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Sexual offences | 5.6 | 3.5 | -38% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Robbery | 2.7 | 0.3 | -90% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.3 | 2.3 | -75% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Vehicle offences | 7.9 | 2.0 | -75% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Theft from the person | 3.9 | 0.2 | -96% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.0 | 6.2 | -39% in Neath Port Talbot |
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 | Manchester | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 117 | 108 |
| 2007 | 129 | 118 |
| 2008 | 125 | 114 |
| 2009 | 112 | 101 |
| 2010 | 115 | 101 |
| 2011 | 114 | 99 |
| 2012 | 115 | 98 |
| 2013 | 115 | 99 |
| 2014 | 125 | 104 |
| 2015 | 133 | 105 |
| 2016 | 145 | 110 |
| 2017 | 158 | 113 |
| 2018 | 167 | 118 |
| 2019 | 173 | 123 |
| 2020 | 178 | 131 |
| 2021 | 209 | 147 |
| 2022 | 231 | 167 |
| 2023 | 233 | 175 |
| 2024 | 241 | 174 |
| 2025 | 247 | 183 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 251 | 185 |
In 2005 the average home cost £100,202 in Manchester and £87,352 in Neath Port Talbot. Now it is £251,205 and £161,632: Manchester is up 151% and Neath Port Talbot is up 85%. Prices have risen faster in Manchester, so the gap between the two has widened.
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 | Manchester | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.8 years of pay | 4.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.0 years of pay | 3.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.4 years of pay | 3.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.8 years of pay | 4.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.8 years of pay in Manchester and 4.2 years in Neath Port Talbot. In 2025 it was 6.8 years and 4.4 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 | Manchester | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 100 |
| 2017 | 106 | 100 |
| 2018 | 112 | 101 |
| 2019 | 114 | 103 |
| 2020 | 117 | 105 |
| 2021 | 120 | 106 |
| 2022 | 127 | 109 |
| 2023 | 139 | 116 |
| 2024 | 156 | 128 |
| 2025 | 167 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 174 | 152 |
In 2015 the average rent was £790 a month in Manchester and £454 in Neath Port Talbot. Now it is £1,373 and £690: up 74% in Manchester and up 52% in Neath Port Talbot. 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 Manchester to Neath Port Talbot
| Earning in Manchester | Equivalent to buy in Neath Port Talbot | Equivalent to rent in Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £16,000 | £15,000 |
| £40,000 | £21,000 | £19,500 |
| £50,000 | £26,500 | £24,500 |
| £60,000 | £31,500 | £29,500 |
Moving from Neath Port Talbot to Manchester
| Earning in Neath Port Talbot | Equivalent to buy in Manchester | Equivalent to rent in Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £57,000 | £61,000 |
| £40,000 | £76,000 | £81,500 |
| £50,000 | £95,000 | £101,500 |
| £60,000 | £114,000 | £122,000 |