Oldham vs Rochdale: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £5,200 (3%) more in Oldham than in Rochdale. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Oldham | Rochdale | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | Above 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 Rochdale (£34,660) is 2% higher than in Oldham (£34,042), while a typical terraced house costs 3% less (£169,750 against £174,950).
Buying a terraced house takes 5.1× annual pay in Oldham and 4.9× in Rochdale. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Oldham and 29% in Rochdale. Renting is harder in Oldham; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Oldham is the 81st least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Rochdale is the 70th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Oldham is around the middle of 316 areas (156th most expensive) and Rochdale is the 117th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Oldham would need about £39,000 in Rochdale to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Rochdale 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 106.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Oldham and 104.6 in Rochdale: about the same.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Oldham | Rochdale |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £34,042 | £34,660 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.1× | 4.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 97% | 102% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Oldham | Rochdale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £370,000 | £350,000 | -5% in Rochdale |
| Semi-detached | £240,000 | £230,000 | -4% in Rochdale |
| Terraced | £174,950 | £169,750 | -3% in Rochdale |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Oldham | Rochdale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,354 | £1,271 | -6% in Rochdale |
| Semi-detached | £1,044 | £947 | -9% in Rochdale |
| Terraced | £923 | £841 | -9% in Rochdale |
Crime
Police recorded 106.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Oldham and 104.6 in Rochdale: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Oldham | Rochdale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 106.6 | 104.6 | -2% in Rochdale |
| Violence against the person | 47.6 | 44.2 | -7% in Rochdale |
| Sexual offences | 5.0 | 4.5 | -8% in Rochdale |
| Robbery | 1.5 | 1.2 | -20% in Rochdale |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.1 | 7.6 | +7% in Rochdale |
| Vehicle offences | 6.0 | 5.7 | -5% in Rochdale |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 0.4 | +3% in Rochdale |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.8 | 8.6 | -2% in Rochdale |
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 | Oldham | Rochdale |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 115 | 107 |
| 2007 | 127 | 118 |
| 2008 | 125 | 115 |
| 2009 | 112 | 103 |
| 2010 | 115 | 103 |
| 2011 | 110 | 98 |
| 2012 | 108 | 98 |
| 2013 | 108 | 98 |
| 2014 | 113 | 102 |
| 2015 | 115 | 104 |
| 2016 | 121 | 110 |
| 2017 | 128 | 113 |
| 2018 | 133 | 121 |
| 2019 | 139 | 128 |
| 2020 | 148 | 133 |
| 2021 | 170 | 151 |
| 2022 | 189 | 169 |
| 2023 | 195 | 176 |
| 2024 | 201 | 182 |
| 2025 | 221 | 194 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 226 | 200 |
In 2005 the average home cost £94,286 in Oldham and £104,174 in Rochdale. Now it is £212,890 and £208,130: Oldham is up 126% and Rochdale is up 100%. Prices have risen faster in Oldham, 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 | Oldham | Rochdale |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.9 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.1 years of pay | 4.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.7 years of pay | 4.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.4 years of pay | 5.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.1 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Oldham and 5.0 years in Rochdale. In 2025 it was 6.1 years and 5.8 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Oldham | Rochdale |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 101 |
| 2017 | 104 | 102 |
| 2018 | 107 | 103 |
| 2019 | 109 | 105 |
| 2020 | 111 | 108 |
| 2021 | 116 | 116 |
| 2022 | 124 | 120 |
| 2023 | 135 | 131 |
| 2024 | 152 | 145 |
| 2025 | 162 | 159 |
| August 2026 | 184 | 175 |
In 2015 the average rent was £513 a month in Oldham and £488 in Rochdale. Now it is £942 and £855: up 84% in Oldham and up 75% in Rochdale. Rents have risen faster in Oldham.
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 Oldham to Rochdale
| Earning in Oldham | Equivalent to buy in Rochdale | Equivalent to rent in Rochdale |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,000 | £27,500 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £36,500 |
| £50,000 | £48,500 | £45,500 |
| £60,000 | £58,000 | £54,500 |
Moving from Rochdale to Oldham
| Earning in Rochdale | Equivalent to buy in Oldham | Equivalent to rent in Oldham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,000 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £44,000 |
| £50,000 | £51,500 | £55,000 |
| £60,000 | £62,000 | £66,000 |