Manchester vs Tonbridge and Malling: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £84,000 (33%) more in Tonbridge and Malling than in Manchester. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Tonbridge and Malling: it takes 8.0× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Manchester.
At a glance
| Manchester | Tonbridge and Malling | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | 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 Tonbridge and Malling (£42,752) is 18% higher than in Manchester (£36,278), while a typical terraced house costs 33% more (£340,000 against £256,000). Set against local pay, Manchester 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 8.0× in Tonbridge and Malling. Renting one takes 46% of pay in Manchester and 40% in Tonbridge and Malling. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Tonbridge and Malling, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Manchester.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Manchester is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive) to buy in, and Tonbridge and Malling is the 73rd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas and Tonbridge and Malling is the 68th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Manchester would need about £53,000 in Tonbridge and Malling to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Tonbridge and Malling 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.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Manchester | Tonbridge and Malling |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,278 | £42,752 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.1× | 8.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 71% | 63% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 46% | 40% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Manchester | Tonbridge and Malling | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | £650,000 | +63% in Tonbridge and Malling |
| Semi-detached | £310,000 | £421,250 | +36% in Tonbridge and Malling |
| Terraced | £256,000 | £340,000 | +33% in Tonbridge and Malling |
| Flat | £210,000 | £240,750 | +15% in Tonbridge and Malling |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Manchester | Tonbridge and Malling | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,878 | £2,200 | +17% in Tonbridge and Malling |
| Semi-detached | £1,496 | £1,593 | +6% in Tonbridge and Malling |
| Terraced | £1,405 | £1,427 | +2% in Tonbridge and Malling |
| Flat | £1,147 | £1,219 | +6% in Tonbridge and Malling |
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 | Tonbridge and Malling |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 117 | 109 |
| 2007 | 129 | 117 |
| 2008 | 125 | 116 |
| 2009 | 112 | 103 |
| 2010 | 115 | 113 |
| 2011 | 114 | 115 |
| 2012 | 115 | 117 |
| 2013 | 115 | 121 |
| 2014 | 125 | 132 |
| 2015 | 133 | 143 |
| 2016 | 145 | 161 |
| 2017 | 158 | 166 |
| 2018 | 167 | 174 |
| 2019 | 173 | 176 |
| 2020 | 178 | 179 |
| 2021 | 209 | 185 |
| 2022 | 231 | 204 |
| 2023 | 233 | 202 |
| 2024 | 241 | 198 |
| 2025 | 247 | 202 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 251 | 202 |
In 2005 the average home cost £100,202 in Manchester and £199,361 in Tonbridge and Malling. Now it is £251,205 and £403,269: Manchester is up 151% and Tonbridge and Malling is up 102%. 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 | Tonbridge and Malling |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.8 years of pay | 8.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.0 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.4 years of pay | 8.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | – |
| 2025 | 6.8 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.8 years of pay in Manchester and 8.3 years in Tonbridge and Malling. In 2025 it was 6.8 years and 9.4 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 | Tonbridge and Malling |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 106 |
| 2017 | 106 | 109 |
| 2018 | 112 | 112 |
| 2019 | 114 | 115 |
| 2020 | 117 | 116 |
| 2021 | 120 | 119 |
| 2022 | 127 | 124 |
| 2023 | 139 | 132 |
| 2024 | 156 | 141 |
| 2025 | 167 | 150 |
| August 2026 | 174 | 156 |
In 2015 the average rent was £790 a month in Manchester and £955 in Tonbridge and Malling. Now it is £1,373 and £1,489: up 74% in Manchester and up 56% in Tonbridge and Malling. 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 Tonbridge and Malling
| Earning in Manchester | Equivalent to buy in Tonbridge and Malling | Equivalent to rent in Tonbridge and Malling |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £40,000 | £30,500 |
| £40,000 | £53,000 | £40,500 |
| £50,000 | £66,500 | £51,000 |
| £60,000 | £79,500 | £61,000 |
Moving from Tonbridge and Malling to Manchester
| Earning in Tonbridge and Malling | Equivalent to buy in Manchester | Equivalent to rent in Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £22,500 | £29,500 |
| £40,000 | £30,000 | £39,500 |
| £50,000 | £37,500 | £49,000 |
| £60,000 | £45,000 | £59,000 |