Pay vs Place

Salford vs Wirral: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £53,000 (32%) more in Salford than in Wirral. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Salford: it takes 6.3× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Wirral.

Salford, terraced
£220,000
Income typically needed: £44,000
Median full-time pay: £34,958
Wirral, terraced
£167,000
Income typically needed: £33,500
Median full-time pay: £38,010

At a glance

Salford Wirral
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Fairly 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 Wirral (£38,010) is 9% higher than in Salford (£34,958), while a typical terraced house costs 24% less (£167,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Wirral is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 6.3× annual pay in Salford and 4.4× in Wirral. Renting one takes 40% of pay in Salford and 27% in Wirral. Both are harder in Salford, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Salford is the 109th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Wirral is the 69th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Salford is the 84th most expensive of 316 areas and Wirral is the 72nd least expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Salford would need about £30,500 in Wirral to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £29,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Wirral 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 105.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Salford and 71.1 in Wirral, so recorded crime per resident is 33% lower in Wirral. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 5.4 per 1,000 in Salford against 2.2 in Wirral.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Salford Wirral
Median full-time pay £34,958 £38,010
House price ÷ pay 6.3× 4.4×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 79% 114%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 40% 27%

Buying, by property type

Type Salford Wirral Difference
Detached £392,500 £400,000 +2% in Wirral
Semi-detached £270,000 £246,000 -9% in Wirral
Terraced £220,000 £167,000 -24% in Wirral
Flat £160,000 £135,000 -16% in Wirral

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Salford Wirral Difference
Detached £1,533 £1,189 -22% in Wirral
Semi-detached £1,315 £947 -28% in Wirral
Terraced £1,170 £868 -26% in Wirral
Flat £1,020 £713 -30% in Wirral

Crime

Police recorded 105.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Salford and 71.1 in Wirral, so recorded crime per resident is 33% lower in Wirral.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Salford Wirral Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 105.8 71.1 -33% in Wirral
Violence against the person 42.0 30.7 -27% in Wirral
Sexual offences 4.3 2.8 -34% in Wirral
Robbery 1.4 0.7 -51% in Wirral
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 7.8 4.0 -49% in Wirral
Vehicle offences 5.4 2.2 -59% in Wirral
Theft from the person 0.7 0.1 -79% in Wirral
Criminal damage and arson 10.2 7.3 -28% in Wirral

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.

Salford: 220Wirral: 173
House prices in Salford and Wirral since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Salford now 220, Wirral now 173.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Salford and Wirral since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Salford now 220, Wirral now 173.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearSalfordWirral
2005100100
2006106109
2007116114
2008110110
200999100
201098104
201196102
201295101
201396100
2014102104
2015110107
2016122112
2017134117
2018141121
2019145123
2020152125
2021183143
2022204156
2023202159
2024208161
2025222166
12 months to July 2026220173

In 2005 the average home cost £104,379 in Salford and £125,893 in Wirral. Now it is £229,776 and £217,184: Salford is up 120% and Wirral is up 73%. Prices have risen faster in Salford, 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.

Salford: 6.6 years of payWirral: 5.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Salford and WirralSalford now 6.6, Wirral now 5.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Salford and WirralSalford now 6.6, Wirral now 5.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearSalfordWirral
20055.0 years of pay5.3 years of pay
20104.4 years of pay5.0 years of pay
20154.7 years of pay4.8 years of pay
20205.4 years of pay5.4 years of pay
20256.6 years of pay5.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.0 years of pay in Salford and 5.3 years in Wirral. In 2025 it was 6.6 years and 5.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Salford over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Salford: 182Wirral: 150
Rents in Salford and Wirral since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Salford now 182, Wirral now 150.100125150175200201620182020202220242026Rents in Salford and Wirral since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Salford now 182, Wirral now 150.100125150175200201520202025
Show the figures
YearSalfordWirral
2015100100
2016101101
2017106101
2018116101
2019119104
2020122106
2021124109
2022132114
2023146121
2024163129
2025175140
August 2026182150

In 2015 the average rent was £643 a month in Salford and £571 in Wirral. Now it is £1,170 and £859: up 82% in Salford and up 50% in Wirral. Rents have risen faster in Salford.

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 Salford to Wirral

Earning in Salford Equivalent to buy in Wirral Equivalent to rent in Wirral
£30,000 £23,000 £22,500
£40,000 £30,500 £29,500
£50,000 £38,000 £37,000
£60,000 £45,500 £44,500

Moving from Wirral to Salford

Earning in Wirral Equivalent to buy in Salford Equivalent to rent in Salford
£30,000 £39,500 £40,500
£40,000 £52,500 £54,000
£50,000 £66,000 £67,500
£60,000 £79,000 £81,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Salford figures · All Wirral figures