South Ribble vs Tameside: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £29,000 (18%) more in Tameside than in South Ribble. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Tameside: it takes 5.6× median annual pay, against 4.2× in South Ribble.
At a glance
| South Ribble | Tameside | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Tameside (£33,949) is 10% lower than in South Ribble (£37,883), while a typical terraced house costs 18% more (£189,000 against £160,000). Set against local pay, South Ribble is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.2× annual pay in South Ribble and 5.6× in Tameside. Renting one takes 26% of pay in South Ribble and 33% in Tameside. Both are harder in Tameside, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, South Ribble is the 54th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Tameside is the 84th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, South Ribble is the 42nd least expensive of 316 areas and Tameside is around the middle of 316 areas (159th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in South Ribble would need about £47,500 in Tameside to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £44,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Tameside 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 56.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in South Ribble and 96.5 in Tameside, so recorded crime per resident is 70% higher in Tameside. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.7 per 1,000 in South Ribble against 7.4 in Tameside.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | South Ribble | Tameside |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,883 | £33,949 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.2× | 5.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 118% | 90% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 26% | 33% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | South Ribble | Tameside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £323,000 | £360,000 | +11% in Tameside |
| Semi-detached | £208,000 | £245,000 | +18% in Tameside |
| Terraced | £160,000 | £189,000 | +18% in Tameside |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | South Ribble | Tameside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,075 | £1,234 | +15% in Tameside |
| Semi-detached | £851 | £1,057 | +24% in Tameside |
| Terraced | £833 | £926 | +11% in Tameside |
Crime
Police recorded 56.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in South Ribble and 96.5 in Tameside, so recorded crime per resident is 70% higher in Tameside.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | South Ribble | Tameside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 56.7 | 96.5 | +70% in Tameside |
| Violence against the person | 25.5 | 41.6 | +63% in Tameside |
| Sexual offences | 2.8 | 3.9 | +38% in Tameside |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 1.3 | +174% in Tameside |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.7 | 7.4 | +98% in Tameside |
| Vehicle offences | 2.4 | 4.7 | +96% in Tameside |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.3 | +94% in Tameside |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.9 | 7.8 | +34% in Tameside |
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 | South Ribble | Tameside |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 108 |
| 2007 | 112 | 117 |
| 2008 | 109 | 113 |
| 2009 | 97 | 99 |
| 2010 | 103 | 99 |
| 2011 | 99 | 97 |
| 2012 | 97 | 95 |
| 2013 | 98 | 96 |
| 2014 | 101 | 101 |
| 2015 | 103 | 106 |
| 2016 | 108 | 113 |
| 2017 | 111 | 121 |
| 2018 | 114 | 127 |
| 2019 | 115 | 133 |
| 2020 | 118 | 139 |
| 2021 | 127 | 158 |
| 2022 | 138 | 178 |
| 2023 | 143 | 183 |
| 2024 | 143 | 187 |
| 2025 | 150 | 196 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 153 | 199 |
In 2005 the average home cost £137,240 in South Ribble and £106,455 in Tameside. Now it is £210,395 and £212,235: South Ribble is up 53% and Tameside is up 99%. Prices have risen faster in Tameside, 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 | South Ribble | Tameside |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.2 years of pay | 5.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.6 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.5 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 5.6 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.4 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.2 years of pay in South Ribble and 5.2 years in Tameside. In 2025 it was 5.4 years and 6.1 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Tameside 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 | South Ribble | Tameside |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 102 |
| 2017 | 103 | 104 |
| 2018 | 104 | 106 |
| 2019 | 105 | 108 |
| 2020 | 106 | 111 |
| 2021 | 108 | 117 |
| 2022 | 113 | 129 |
| 2023 | 120 | 139 |
| 2024 | 129 | 155 |
| 2025 | 137 | 172 |
| August 2026 | 145 | 183 |
In 2015 the average rent was £555 a month in South Ribble and £508 in Tameside. Now it is £805 and £931: up 45% in South Ribble and up 83% in Tameside. Rents have risen faster in Tameside.
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 South Ribble to Tameside
| Earning in South Ribble | Equivalent to buy in Tameside | Equivalent to rent in Tameside |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £33,500 |
| £40,000 | £47,500 | £44,500 |
| £50,000 | £59,000 | £55,500 |
| £60,000 | £71,000 | £66,500 |
Moving from Tameside to South Ribble
| Earning in Tameside | Equivalent to buy in South Ribble | Equivalent to rent in South Ribble |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £36,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £45,000 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £54,000 |