Where on the UK
Avg rent
£805/mo+6.1%
Median across council areas
Median salary
£30,947
Annual, residence-based
Council tax
Band H
Most common band across the region
Population
7,737,414
Sum across local areas
council areas
35
4,567 sub-areas
Stations
300
National Rail
Liveability
85/100
Composite (median council area)
Safety
73/100
Higher is safer
Transport
75/100
Transit + walk
Good schools
33%
Within 2 km, Ofsted Good+
Gigabit
100%
Premises gigabit-capable
Greenspace
278m
Median distance to park
Compare
Cities in North West
Tap any row or map polygon to drill into that city — hovering on desktop will preview the link before you click. Switch the tab strip above the table to focus on Affordability, Schools, Transport, Safety or Wealth — the columns swap and the default sort follows.
300 National Rail stations in region
Avg rent, scores and YoY change at a glance.
| RegionNorth West | £805 | +6.1% | 85 | 73 |
| Burnley | £624 | +4.9% | 85 | 32 |
| Hyndburn | £638 | +4.5% | 85 | 25 |
| Pendle | £645 | +5.7% | 85 | 38 |
| Cumberland | £659 | +7.3% | 93 | 76 |
| Blackpool | £696 | +6.5% | 85 | 22 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | £707 | +7.0% | 92 | 49 |
| Wyre | £717 | +5.8% | 85 | 65 |
| Halton | £732 | +6.5% | 96 | 55 |
| Wigan | £732 | +7.2% | 85 | 100 |
| Chorley | £773 | +6.1% | 85 | 71 |
| St. Helens | £774 | +4.5% | 96 | 67 |
| Preston | £778 | +7.8% | 85 | 29 |
| South Ribble | £787 | +5.4% | 85 | 71 |
| West Lancashire | £794 | +9.4% | 85 | 73 |
| Westmorland and Furness | £797 | +7.0% | 85 | 81 |
| Lancaster | £802 | +6.2% | 85 | 59 |
| Ribble Valley | £803 | +5.3% | 63 | 82 |
| Knowsley | £805 | +3.8% | 97 | 56 |
| Rossendale | £810 | +8.3% | 77 | 49 |
| Rochdale | £824 | +9.6% | 85 | 100 |
| Wirral | £830 | +6.1% | 97 | 77 |
| Fylde | £848 | +5.8% | 85 | 70 |
| Bolton | £878 | +10.1% | 85 | 100 |
| Warrington | £880 | +4.9% | 93 | 79 |
| Liverpool | £893 | +6.4% | 87 | 51 |
| Oldham | £910 | +11.8% | 85 | 100 |
| Tameside | £917 | +7.8% | 85 | 100 |
| Sefton | £919 | +5.8% | 92 | 73 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | £959 | +5.8% | 85 | 80 |
| Bury | £965 | +5.6% | 84 | 100 |
Showing 1–30 of 35
Source: ONS, MHCLG, DfT, DESNZ and Defra — sub-area data combined into city-level medians. Rail stations from Network Rail.
Quick rankings
Find a place to live in North West
One-click pages ranked by the metric most people search for. Each one carries the same map and table — just pre-sorted and pre-tabbed.
FAQ
Frequently asked about North West
Short answers to the questions we get most often. Each one is anchored in the data above.
- What is the average rent in North West?
- The median monthly rent across North West is £878, drawn from the ONS Index of Private Housing Rental Prices. Individual cities and neighbourhoods vary substantially — see the city table above for the spread.
- What is the average salary in North West?
- Median resident annual salary in North West is £30,947 (ONS ASHE 2025). This is salary for residents of North West, not for people who commute in to work there.
- Is North West a safe place to live?
- North West has an average safety score of 73/100 across its constituent neighbourhoods. The score is based on police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, normalised against England + Wales as a whole. Higher = safer.
- What's the best place to live in North West?
- It depends on what you weight. By our composite liveability score (which blends safety, transport, schools and rent affordability), the highest-ranked cities in North West are listed in the city table above. For ranked shortlists by single criteria, see the Quick rankings section.
- How many cities are in North West?
- North West contains 35 council areas (cities and districts) covering 4,567 sub-areas. Browse the full list in the table above.
- Is gigabit broadband available across North West?
- 100% of premises in North West are gigabit-capable per Ofcom Connected Nations 2025. Coverage is patchier in older terraces and rural fringes — check your specific postcode for service availability.
- Where can I see how North West compares to other UK regions?
- The country-level overview at /gb sorts every region by rent, salary and safety. From there you can drill into any other region for the same view of cities, neighbourhoods and shortlists.