Manchester vs Test Valley: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £39,000 (15%) more in Test Valley than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Manchester | Test Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | High | 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 Test Valley (£40,576) is 12% higher than in Manchester (£36,278), while a typical terraced house costs 15% more (£295,000 against £256,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 7.1× annual pay in Manchester and 7.3× in Test Valley. Renting one takes 46% of pay in Manchester and 37% in Test Valley. Renting is harder in Manchester; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive) to buy in, and Test Valley is the 96th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas and Test Valley is the 115th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Manchester would need about £46,000 in Test Valley to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Test Valley 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 142.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Manchester and 52.2 in Test Valley, so recorded crime per resident is 63% lower in Test Valley. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 7.9 per 1,000 in Manchester against 2.8 in Test Valley.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Manchester | Test Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,278 | £40,576 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.1× | 7.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 71% | 69% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 46% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Manchester | Test Valley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | £564,500 | +41% in Test Valley |
| Semi-detached | £310,000 | £355,000 | +15% in Test Valley |
| Terraced | £256,000 | £295,000 | +15% in Test Valley |
| Flat | £210,000 | £190,000 | -10% in Test Valley |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Manchester | Test Valley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,878 | £1,739 | -7% in Test Valley |
| Semi-detached | £1,496 | £1,369 | -8% in Test Valley |
| Terraced | £1,405 | £1,257 | -11% in Test Valley |
| Flat | £1,147 | £985 | -14% in Test Valley |
Crime
Police recorded 142.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Manchester and 52.2 in Test Valley, so recorded crime per resident is 63% lower in Test Valley.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Manchester | Test Valley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 142.7 | 52.2 | -63% in Test Valley |
| Violence against the person | 51.9 | 21.7 | -58% in Test Valley |
| Sexual offences | 5.6 | 2.4 | -58% in Test Valley |
| Robbery | 2.7 | 0.4 | -85% in Test Valley |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.3 | 4.6 | -50% in Test Valley |
| Vehicle offences | 7.9 | 2.8 | -65% in Test Valley |
| Theft from the person | 3.9 | 0.1 | -96% in Test Valley |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.0 | 4.4 | -56% in Test Valley |
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 | Test Valley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 117 | 105 |
| 2007 | 129 | 117 |
| 2008 | 125 | 114 |
| 2009 | 112 | 102 |
| 2010 | 115 | 113 |
| 2011 | 114 | 111 |
| 2012 | 115 | 111 |
| 2013 | 115 | 113 |
| 2014 | 125 | 121 |
| 2015 | 133 | 132 |
| 2016 | 145 | 141 |
| 2017 | 158 | 151 |
| 2018 | 167 | 154 |
| 2019 | 173 | 154 |
| 2020 | 178 | 159 |
| 2021 | 209 | 166 |
| 2022 | 231 | 185 |
| 2023 | 233 | 190 |
| 2024 | 241 | 184 |
| 2025 | 247 | 186 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 251 | 185 |
In 2005 the average home cost £100,202 in Manchester and £201,013 in Test Valley. Now it is £251,205 and £372,261: Manchester is up 151% and Test Valley is up 85%. 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 | Test Valley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.8 years of pay | 7.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.0 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.4 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 9.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.8 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.8 years of pay in Manchester and 7.9 years in Test Valley. In 2025 it was 6.8 years and 9.2 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 | Test Valley |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 104 |
| 2017 | 106 | 107 |
| 2018 | 112 | 109 |
| 2019 | 114 | 110 |
| 2020 | 117 | 112 |
| 2021 | 120 | 116 |
| 2022 | 127 | 121 |
| 2023 | 139 | 126 |
| 2024 | 156 | 133 |
| 2025 | 167 | 139 |
| August 2026 | 174 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £790 a month in Manchester and £832 in Test Valley. Now it is £1,373 and £1,235: up 74% in Manchester and up 48% in Test Valley. 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 Test Valley
| Earning in Manchester | Equivalent to buy in Test Valley | Equivalent to rent in Test Valley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,500 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £46,000 | £36,000 |
| £50,000 | £57,500 | £44,500 |
| £60,000 | £69,000 | £53,500 |
Moving from Test Valley to Manchester
| Earning in Test Valley | Equivalent to buy in Manchester | Equivalent to rent in Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,000 | £33,500 |
| £40,000 | £34,500 | £44,500 |
| £50,000 | £43,500 | £56,000 |
| £60,000 | £52,000 | £67,000 |