Pay vs Place

Sefton vs Wirral: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £7,500 (4%) more in Sefton than in Wirral. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Sefton: it takes 4.7× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Wirral.

Sefton, terraced
£174,500
Income typically needed: £35,000
Median full-time pay: £36,937
Wirral, terraced
£167,000
Income typically needed: £33,500
Median full-time pay: £38,010

At a glance

Sefton Wirral
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Recorded crime About 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 3% higher than in Sefton (£36,937), while a typical terraced house costs 4% less (£167,000 against £174,500). Set against local pay, Wirral is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.7× annual pay in Sefton and 4.4× in Wirral. Renting one takes 31% of pay in Sefton and 27% in Wirral. Both are harder in Sefton, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Sefton is the 78th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Wirral is the 69th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Sefton is around the middle of 316 areas (190th most expensive) and Wirral is the 72nd least expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Sefton would need about £38,500 in Wirral to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,000 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 75.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Sefton and 71.1 in Wirral, so recorded crime per resident is 6% lower in Wirral.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Sefton Wirral
Median full-time pay £36,937 £38,010
House price ÷ pay 4.7× 4.4×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 106% 114%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 31% 27%

Buying, by property type

Type Sefton Wirral Difference
Detached £379,998 £400,000 +5% in Wirral
Semi-detached £240,000 £246,000 +3% in Wirral
Terraced £174,500 £167,000 -4% in Wirral
Flat £135,000 £135,000 0% in Wirral

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Sefton Wirral Difference
Detached £1,312 £1,189 -9% in Wirral
Semi-detached £1,015 £947 -7% in Wirral
Terraced £966 £868 -10% in Wirral
Flat £742 £713 -4% in Wirral

Crime

Police recorded 75.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Sefton and 71.1 in Wirral, so recorded crime per resident is 6% lower in Wirral.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Sefton Wirral Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 75.5 71.1 -6% in Wirral
Violence against the person 32.7 30.7 -6% in Wirral
Sexual offences 3.0 2.8 -4% in Wirral
Robbery 0.8 0.7 -7% in Wirral
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.7 4.0 +9% in Wirral
Vehicle offences 2.3 2.2 -5% in Wirral
Theft from the person 0.3 0.1 -44% in Wirral
Criminal damage and arson 6.6 7.3 +11% 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.

Sefton: 164Wirral: 173
House prices in Sefton and Wirral since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Sefton now 164, Wirral now 173.8010012014016018020052010201520202025House prices in Sefton and Wirral since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Sefton now 164, Wirral now 173.8010012014016018020102020
Show the figures
YearSeftonWirral
2005100100
2006107109
2007113114
2008109110
2009102100
2010104104
201199102
201298101
201396100
201499104
2015101107
2016107112
2017112117
2018115121
2019119123
2020120125
2021134143
2022147156
2023150159
2024153161
2025161166
12 months to July 2026164173

In 2005 the average home cost £133,791 in Sefton and £125,893 in Wirral. Now it is £219,584 and £217,184: Sefton is up 64% and Wirral is up 73%. Prices have risen faster in Wirral, 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.

Sefton: 5.8 years of payWirral: 5.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Sefton and WirralSefton now 5.8, Wirral now 5.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Sefton and WirralSefton now 5.8, Wirral now 5.5 years of pay.0×2×4×6×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearSeftonWirral
20055.9 years of pay5.3 years of pay
20105.9 years of pay5.0 years of pay
20155.5 years of pay4.8 years of pay
20205.4 years of pay5.4 years of pay
20255.8 years of pay5.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 5.9 years of pay in Sefton and 5.3 years in Wirral. In 2025 it was 5.8 years and 5.5 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Sefton: 156Wirral: 150
Rents in Sefton and Wirral since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Sefton now 156, Wirral now 150.100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Sefton and Wirral since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Sefton now 156, Wirral now 150.100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearSeftonWirral
2015100100
2016101101
2017102101
2018103101
2019105104
2020107106
2021110109
2022115114
2023124121
2024135129
2025147140
August 2026156150

In 2015 the average rent was £602 a month in Sefton and £571 in Wirral. Now it is £938 and £859: up 56% in Sefton and up 50% in Wirral. Rents have risen faster in Sefton.

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 Sefton to Wirral

Earning in Sefton Equivalent to buy in Wirral Equivalent to rent in Wirral
£30,000 £28,500 £27,000
£40,000 £38,500 £36,000
£50,000 £48,000 £45,000
£60,000 £57,500 £54,000

Moving from Wirral to Sefton

Earning in Wirral Equivalent to buy in Sefton Equivalent to rent in Sefton
£30,000 £31,500 £33,500
£40,000 £42,000 £44,500
£50,000 £52,000 £55,500
£60,000 £62,500 £67,000
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 Sefton figures · All Wirral figures