Manchester vs West Northamptonshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £17,250 (7%) more in Manchester than in West Northamptonshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Manchester: it takes 7.1× median annual pay, against 6.3× in West Northamptonshire.
At a glance
| Manchester | West Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| 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 West Northamptonshire (£38,000) is 5% higher than in Manchester (£36,278), while a typical terraced house costs 7% less (£238,750 against £256,000). Set against local pay, West Northamptonshire 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 6.3× in West Northamptonshire. Renting one takes 46% of pay in Manchester and 34% in West Northamptonshire. 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 West Northamptonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (154th most expensive). For renting against pay, Manchester is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas and West Northamptonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (144th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Manchester would need about £37,500 in West Northamptonshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £30,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Northamptonshire 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 71.0 in West Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 50% lower in West Northamptonshire. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 51.9 per 1,000 in Manchester against 27.4 in West Northamptonshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Manchester | West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,278 | £38,000 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.1× | 6.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 71% | 80% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 46% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Manchester | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | £425,000 | +6% in West Northamptonshire |
| Semi-detached | £310,000 | £281,000 | -9% in West Northamptonshire |
| Terraced | £256,000 | £238,750 | -7% in West Northamptonshire |
| Flat | £210,000 | £146,000 | -30% in West Northamptonshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Manchester | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,878 | £1,470 | -22% in West Northamptonshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,496 | £1,107 | -26% in West Northamptonshire |
| Terraced | £1,405 | £1,063 | -24% in West Northamptonshire |
| Flat | £1,147 | £858 | -25% in West Northamptonshire |
Crime
Police recorded 142.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Manchester and 71.0 in West Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 50% lower in West Northamptonshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Manchester | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 142.7 | 71.0 | -50% in West Northamptonshire |
| Violence against the person | 51.9 | 27.4 | -47% in West Northamptonshire |
| Sexual offences | 5.6 | 3.8 | -33% in West Northamptonshire |
| Robbery | 2.7 | 1.5 | -43% in West Northamptonshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.3 | 6.3 | -32% in West Northamptonshire |
| Vehicle offences | 7.9 | 4.7 | -41% in West Northamptonshire |
| Theft from the person | 3.9 | 0.3 | -92% in West Northamptonshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.0 | 5.4 | -46% in West Northamptonshire |
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 | West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 117 | 104 |
| 2007 | 129 | 112 |
| 2008 | 125 | 107 |
| 2009 | 112 | 94 |
| 2010 | 115 | 101 |
| 2011 | 114 | 100 |
| 2012 | 115 | 101 |
| 2013 | 115 | 104 |
| 2014 | 125 | 113 |
| 2015 | 133 | 121 |
| 2016 | 145 | 132 |
| 2017 | 158 | 142 |
| 2018 | 167 | 148 |
| 2019 | 173 | 147 |
| 2020 | 178 | 149 |
| 2021 | 209 | 158 |
| 2022 | 231 | 173 |
| 2023 | 233 | 174 |
| 2024 | 241 | 172 |
| 2025 | 247 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 251 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £100,202 in Manchester and £162,574 in West Northamptonshire. Now it is £251,205 and £291,495: Manchester is up 151% and West Northamptonshire is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in Manchester, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
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 | West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 105 |
| 2017 | 106 | 111 |
| 2018 | 112 | 115 |
| 2019 | 114 | 118 |
| 2020 | 117 | 120 |
| 2021 | 120 | 123 |
| 2022 | 127 | 128 |
| 2023 | 139 | 135 |
| 2024 | 156 | 144 |
| 2025 | 167 | 154 |
| August 2026 | 174 | 160 |
In 2015 the average rent was £790 a month in Manchester and £678 in West Northamptonshire. Now it is £1,373 and £1,084: up 74% in Manchester and up 60% in West Northamptonshire. 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 West Northamptonshire
| Earning in Manchester | Equivalent to buy in West Northamptonshire | Equivalent to rent in West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £22,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £30,500 |
| £50,000 | £46,500 | £38,000 |
| £60,000 | £56,000 | £45,500 |
Moving from West Northamptonshire to Manchester
| Earning in West Northamptonshire | Equivalent to buy in Manchester | Equivalent to rent in Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £39,500 |
| £40,000 | £43,000 | £53,000 |
| £50,000 | £53,500 | £66,000 |
| £60,000 | £64,500 | £79,500 |