St. Helens vs Wyre: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £8,500 (6%) more in St. Helens than in Wyre. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| St. Helens | Wyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | Low |
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 Wyre (£38,048) is 2% higher than in St. Helens (£37,306), while a typical terraced house costs 6% less (£134,000 against £142,500).
Buying a terraced house takes 3.8× annual pay in St. Helens and 3.5× in Wyre. Renting one takes 26% of pay in St. Helens and 24% in Wyre. Both are harder in St. Helens, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, St. Helens is the 29th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Wyre is the 26th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, St. Helens is the 49th least expensive of 316 areas and Wyre is the 22nd least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in St. Helens would need about £37,500 in Wyre to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Wyre 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 86.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in St. Helens and 58.4 in Wyre, so recorded crime per resident is 32% lower in Wyre. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 8.2 per 1,000 in St. Helens against 5.6 in Wyre.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | St. Helens | Wyre |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,306 | £38,048 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.8× | 3.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 131% | 142% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 26% | 24% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | St. Helens | Wyre | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £335,995 | £313,000 | -7% in Wyre |
| Semi-detached | £205,000 | £185,000 | -10% in Wyre |
| Terraced | £142,500 | £134,000 | -6% in Wyre |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | St. Helens | Wyre | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,165 | £1,022 | -12% in Wyre |
| Semi-detached | £882 | £812 | -8% in Wyre |
| Terraced | £797 | £754 | -5% in Wyre |
Crime
Police recorded 86.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in St. Helens and 58.4 in Wyre, so recorded crime per resident is 32% lower in Wyre.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | St. Helens | Wyre | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 86.3 | 58.4 | -32% in Wyre |
| Violence against the person | 36.2 | 26.6 | -26% in Wyre |
| Sexual offences | 3.4 | 2.9 | -14% in Wyre |
| Robbery | 0.6 | 0.3 | -44% in Wyre |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.8 | 3.5 | -8% in Wyre |
| Vehicle offences | 3.2 | 2.3 | -29% in Wyre |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.2 | -46% in Wyre |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.2 | 5.6 | -31% in Wyre |
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 | St. Helens | Wyre |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 106 |
| 2007 | 113 | 113 |
| 2008 | 111 | 110 |
| 2009 | 98 | 101 |
| 2010 | 100 | 101 |
| 2011 | 95 | 96 |
| 2012 | 93 | 94 |
| 2013 | 93 | 93 |
| 2014 | 97 | 96 |
| 2015 | 97 | 98 |
| 2016 | 104 | 100 |
| 2017 | 108 | 104 |
| 2018 | 112 | 105 |
| 2019 | 115 | 105 |
| 2020 | 120 | 108 |
| 2021 | 136 | 120 |
| 2022 | 153 | 132 |
| 2023 | 157 | 133 |
| 2024 | 161 | 133 |
| 2025 | 167 | 137 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 175 | 139 |
In 2005 the average home cost £104,214 in St. Helens and £137,422 in Wyre. Now it is £181,935 and £191,325: St. Helens is up 75% and Wyre is up 39%. Prices have risen faster in St. Helens, 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 | St. Helens | Wyre |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.1 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.2 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 3.9 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.4 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.7 years of pay | 4.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.1 years of pay in St. Helens and 6.0 years in Wyre. In 2025 it was 4.7 years and 4.9 years.
Affordability has worsened more in St. Helens 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 | St. Helens | Wyre |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 101 |
| 2017 | 107 | 102 |
| 2018 | 108 | 103 |
| 2019 | 109 | 103 |
| 2020 | 111 | 105 |
| 2021 | 116 | 107 |
| 2022 | 123 | 111 |
| 2023 | 132 | 115 |
| 2024 | 142 | 121 |
| 2025 | 155 | 128 |
| August 2026 | 167 | 138 |
In 2015 the average rent was £483 a month in St. Helens and £537 in Wyre. Now it is £807 and £743: up 67% in St. Helens and up 38% in Wyre. Rents have risen faster in St. Helens.
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 St. Helens to Wyre
| Earning in St. Helens | Equivalent to buy in Wyre | Equivalent to rent in Wyre |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £38,000 |
| £50,000 | £47,000 | £47,500 |
| £60,000 | £56,500 | £57,000 |
Moving from Wyre to St. Helens
| Earning in Wyre | Equivalent to buy in St. Helens | Equivalent to rent in St. Helens |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £42,500 |
| £50,000 | £53,000 | £53,000 |
| £60,000 | £64,000 | £63,500 |