Manchester vs North Warwickshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £61,000 (31%) more in Manchester than in North Warwickshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Manchester: it takes 7.1× median annual pay, against 4.9× in North Warwickshire.
At a glance
| Manchester | North Warwickshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Fairly 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 North Warwickshire (£40,095) is 11% higher than in Manchester (£36,278), while a typical terraced house costs 24% less (£195,000 against £256,000). Set against local pay, North Warwickshire 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 4.9× in North Warwickshire. Renting one takes 46% of pay in Manchester and 28% in North Warwickshire. 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 North Warwickshire is the 101st least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas and North Warwickshire is the 112th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Manchester would need about £30,500 in North Warwickshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £26,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to North Warwickshire 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 61.3 in North Warwickshire, so recorded crime per resident is 57% lower in North Warwickshire. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 51.9 per 1,000 in Manchester against 23.0 in North Warwickshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Manchester | North Warwickshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,278 | £40,095 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.1× | 4.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 71% | 103% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 46% | 28% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Manchester | North Warwickshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | £395,000 | -1% in North Warwickshire |
| Semi-detached | £310,000 | £265,000 | -15% in North Warwickshire |
| Terraced | £256,000 | £195,000 | -24% in North Warwickshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Manchester | North Warwickshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,878 | £1,354 | -28% in North Warwickshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,496 | £1,035 | -31% in North Warwickshire |
| Terraced | £1,405 | £938 | -33% in North Warwickshire |
Crime
Police recorded 142.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Manchester and 61.3 in North Warwickshire, so recorded crime per resident is 57% lower in North Warwickshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Manchester | North Warwickshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 142.7 | 61.3 | -57% in North Warwickshire |
| Violence against the person | 51.9 | 23.0 | -56% in North Warwickshire |
| Sexual offences | 5.6 | 2.9 | -49% in North Warwickshire |
| Robbery | 2.7 | 0.9 | -66% in North Warwickshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.3 | 5.1 | -45% in North Warwickshire |
| Vehicle offences | 7.9 | 8.2 | +3% in North Warwickshire |
| Theft from the person | 3.9 | 0.3 | -94% in North Warwickshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.0 | 6.1 | -39% in North Warwickshire |
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 | North Warwickshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 117 | 103 |
| 2007 | 129 | 107 |
| 2008 | 125 | 103 |
| 2009 | 112 | 97 |
| 2010 | 115 | 99 |
| 2011 | 114 | 97 |
| 2012 | 115 | 97 |
| 2013 | 115 | 98 |
| 2014 | 125 | 103 |
| 2015 | 133 | 108 |
| 2016 | 145 | 117 |
| 2017 | 158 | 124 |
| 2018 | 167 | 131 |
| 2019 | 173 | 133 |
| 2020 | 178 | 135 |
| 2021 | 209 | 142 |
| 2022 | 231 | 154 |
| 2023 | 233 | 158 |
| 2024 | 241 | 156 |
| 2025 | 247 | 158 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 251 | 160 |
In 2005 the average home cost £100,202 in Manchester and £166,782 in North Warwickshire. Now it is £251,205 and £267,509: Manchester is up 151% and North Warwickshire is up 60%. 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Manchester | North Warwickshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.8 years of pay | 7.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.0 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.4 years of pay | 6.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 7.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.8 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.8 years of pay in Manchester and 7.2 years in North Warwickshire. In 2025 it was 6.8 years and 6.6 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 | North Warwickshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 103 |
| 2017 | 106 | 107 |
| 2018 | 112 | 110 |
| 2019 | 114 | 114 |
| 2020 | 117 | 119 |
| 2021 | 120 | 122 |
| 2022 | 127 | 126 |
| 2023 | 139 | 132 |
| 2024 | 156 | 147 |
| 2025 | 167 | 158 |
| August 2026 | 174 | 168 |
In 2015 the average rent was £790 a month in Manchester and £584 in North Warwickshire. Now it is £1,373 and £982: up 74% in Manchester and up 68% in North Warwickshire. 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 North Warwickshire
| Earning in Manchester | Equivalent to buy in North Warwickshire | Equivalent to rent in North Warwickshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,000 | £20,000 |
| £40,000 | £30,500 | £26,500 |
| £50,000 | £38,000 | £33,500 |
| £60,000 | £45,500 | £40,000 |
Moving from North Warwickshire to Manchester
| Earning in North Warwickshire | Equivalent to buy in Manchester | Equivalent to rent in Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £39,500 | £45,000 |
| £40,000 | £52,500 | £60,000 |
| £50,000 | £65,500 | £75,000 |
| £60,000 | £79,000 | £90,000 |