Preston vs Wigan: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £13,000 (10%) more in Wigan than in Preston. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Wigan: it takes 4.0× median annual pay, against 3.6× in Preston.
At a glance
| Preston | Wigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | 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 Wigan (£37,377) is the same than in Preston (£37,214), while a typical terraced house costs 10% more (£148,000 against £135,000). Set against local pay, Preston is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 3.6× annual pay in Preston and 4.0× in Wigan. Renting one takes 26% of pay in Preston and 24% in Wigan. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Wigan, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Preston.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Preston is the 35th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Wigan is the 33rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Preston is the 40th least expensive of 316 areas and Wigan is the 29th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Preston would need about £44,000 in Wigan to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £37,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Wigan 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 98.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Preston and 91.0 in Wigan, so recorded crime per resident is 8% lower in Wigan. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 5.4 per 1,000 in Preston against 4.3 in Wigan.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Preston | Wigan |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,214 | £37,377 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.6× | 4.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 138% | 126% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 26% | 24% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Preston | Wigan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £332,000 | £335,000 | +1% in Wigan |
| Semi-detached | £210,000 | £214,800 | +2% in Wigan |
| Terraced | £135,000 | £148,000 | +10% in Wigan |
| Flat | £94,000 | £114,975 | +22% in Wigan |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Preston | Wigan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,117 | £1,000 | -10% in Wigan |
| Semi-detached | £858 | £830 | -3% in Wigan |
| Terraced | £798 | £748 | -6% in Wigan |
| Flat | £666 | £636 | -5% in Wigan |
Crime
Police recorded 98.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Preston and 91.0 in Wigan, so recorded crime per resident is 8% lower in Wigan.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Preston | Wigan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 98.6 | 91.0 | -8% in Wigan |
| Violence against the person | 39.4 | 39.8 | +1% in Wigan |
| Sexual offences | 4.3 | 3.6 | -17% in Wigan |
| Robbery | 1.5 | 0.9 | -37% in Wigan |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.1 | 5.8 | -19% in Wigan |
| Vehicle offences | 5.4 | 4.3 | -21% in Wigan |
| Theft from the person | 0.6 | 0.3 | -48% in Wigan |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.6 | 9.0 | -6% in Wigan |
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 | Preston | Wigan |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 109 | 109 |
| 2007 | 118 | 117 |
| 2008 | 113 | 113 |
| 2009 | 103 | 100 |
| 2010 | 105 | 102 |
| 2011 | 100 | 98 |
| 2012 | 101 | 97 |
| 2013 | 100 | 99 |
| 2014 | 102 | 102 |
| 2015 | 105 | 106 |
| 2016 | 107 | 111 |
| 2017 | 108 | 116 |
| 2018 | 109 | 119 |
| 2019 | 109 | 123 |
| 2020 | 110 | 129 |
| 2021 | 122 | 145 |
| 2022 | 132 | 163 |
| 2023 | 136 | 167 |
| 2024 | 141 | 171 |
| 2025 | 144 | 180 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 150 | 183 |
In 2005 the average home cost £124,445 in Preston and £104,444 in Wigan. Now it is £186,152 and £191,539: Preston is up 50% and Wigan is up 83%. Prices have risen faster in Wigan, 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 | Preston | Wigan |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.9 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.7 years of pay | 4.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.6 years of pay | 4.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.1 years of pay | 4.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.8 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.9 years of pay in Preston and 5.0 years in Wigan. In 2025 it was 4.8 years and 5.0 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Wigan 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 | Preston | Wigan |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 105 |
| 2017 | 101 | 108 |
| 2018 | 101 | 109 |
| 2019 | 101 | 111 |
| 2020 | 102 | 113 |
| 2021 | 104 | 116 |
| 2022 | 108 | 122 |
| 2023 | 114 | 130 |
| 2024 | 120 | 142 |
| 2025 | 131 | 153 |
| August 2026 | 141 | 164 |
In 2015 the average rent was £562 a month in Preston and £455 in Wigan. Now it is £790 and £746: up 41% in Preston and up 64% in Wigan. Rents have risen faster in Wigan.
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 Preston to Wigan
| Earning in Preston | Equivalent to buy in Wigan | Equivalent to rent in Wigan |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £33,000 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £44,000 | £37,500 |
| £50,000 | £55,000 | £47,000 |
| £60,000 | £66,000 | £56,000 |
Moving from Wigan to Preston
| Earning in Wigan | Equivalent to buy in Preston | Equivalent to rent in Preston |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,500 | £32,000 |
| £40,000 | £36,500 | £42,500 |
| £50,000 | £45,500 | £53,500 |
| £60,000 | £54,500 | £64,000 |