Ribble Valley vs Warrington: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £7,750 (4%) more in Warrington than in Ribble Valley. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Ribble Valley | Warrington | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Warrington (£40,380) is 1% lower than in Ribble Valley (£40,870), while a typical terraced house costs 4% more (£195,000 against £187,250).
Buying a terraced house takes 4.6× annual pay in Ribble Valley and 4.8× in Warrington. Renting one takes 24% of pay in Ribble Valley and 26% in Warrington. Both are harder in Warrington, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Ribble Valley is the 100th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Warrington is the 99th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Ribble Valley is the 31st least expensive of 316 areas and Warrington is the 68th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Ribble Valley would need about £41,500 in Warrington to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £43,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Warrington 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 39.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ribble Valley and 70.4 in Warrington, so recorded crime per resident is 80% higher in Warrington. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 18.0 per 1,000 in Ribble Valley against 31.6 in Warrington.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Ribble Valley | Warrington |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £40,870 | £40,380 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.6× | 4.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 109% | 104% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 24% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Ribble Valley | Warrington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £425,000 | £430,000 | +1% in Warrington |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £265,000 | 0% in Warrington |
| Terraced | £187,250 | £195,000 | +4% in Warrington |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Ribble Valley | Warrington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,079 | £1,297 | +20% in Warrington |
| Semi-detached | £919 | £973 | +6% in Warrington |
| Terraced | £817 | £886 | +8% in Warrington |
Crime
Police recorded 39.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ribble Valley and 70.4 in Warrington, so recorded crime per resident is 80% higher in Warrington.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Ribble Valley | Warrington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 39.1 | 70.4 | +80% in Warrington |
| Violence against the person | 18.0 | 31.6 | +75% in Warrington |
| Sexual offences | 2.5 | 3.7 | +49% in Warrington |
| Robbery | 0.1 | 0.5 | +250% in Warrington |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.0 | 3.7 | -8% in Warrington |
| Vehicle offences | 2.0 | 2.7 | +33% in Warrington |
| Theft from the person | 0.0 | 0.3 | +833% in Warrington |
| Criminal damage and arson | 3.9 | 4.8 | +25% in Warrington |
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 | Ribble Valley | Warrington |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 101 |
| 2007 | 118 | 109 |
| 2008 | 115 | 105 |
| 2009 | 106 | 92 |
| 2010 | 111 | 97 |
| 2011 | 108 | 97 |
| 2012 | 105 | 97 |
| 2013 | 107 | 98 |
| 2014 | 109 | 104 |
| 2015 | 110 | 107 |
| 2016 | 113 | 113 |
| 2017 | 117 | 119 |
| 2018 | 120 | 124 |
| 2019 | 119 | 127 |
| 2020 | 120 | 131 |
| 2021 | 128 | 144 |
| 2022 | 137 | 162 |
| 2023 | 142 | 165 |
| 2024 | 143 | 165 |
| 2025 | 148 | 171 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 151 | 176 |
In 2005 the average home cost £185,866 in Ribble Valley and £144,267 in Warrington. Now it is £279,871 and £254,505: Ribble Valley is up 51% and Warrington is up 76%. Prices have risen faster in Warrington, 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 | Ribble Valley | Warrington |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.5 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 8.6 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.4 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.6 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.7 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.5 years of pay in Ribble Valley and 6.2 years in Warrington. In 2025 it was 6.7 years and 6.1 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Warrington 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 | Ribble Valley | Warrington |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 103 |
| 2017 | 103 | 106 |
| 2018 | 104 | 109 |
| 2019 | 105 | 110 |
| 2020 | 105 | 112 |
| 2021 | 107 | 114 |
| 2022 | 113 | 119 |
| 2023 | 118 | 125 |
| 2024 | 124 | 135 |
| 2025 | 131 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 139 | 154 |
In 2015 the average rent was £588 a month in Ribble Valley and £583 in Warrington. Now it is £818 and £899: up 39% in Ribble Valley and up 54% in Warrington. Rents have risen faster in Warrington.
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 Ribble Valley to Warrington
| Earning in Ribble Valley | Equivalent to buy in Warrington | Equivalent to rent in Warrington |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,000 | £32,500 |
| £40,000 | £41,500 | £43,500 |
| £50,000 | £52,000 | £54,000 |
| £60,000 | £62,500 | £65,000 |
Moving from Warrington to Ribble Valley
| Earning in Warrington | Equivalent to buy in Ribble Valley | Equivalent to rent in Ribble Valley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,000 | £27,500 |
| £40,000 | £38,500 | £37,000 |
| £50,000 | £48,000 | £46,000 |
| £60,000 | £57,500 | £55,500 |