What is the average rent in Oldham?

The median monthly rent across Oldham is £910, based on ONS Private Rental Prices data. Individual neighbourhoods vary — see the shortlist above for the cheapest and most desirable areas.

Where is the cheapest place to rent in Oldham?

The cheapest neighbourhood in Oldham by estimated median rent is Salem at approximately £785/month. The full top-five cheapest list and our methodology are above.

What's the best neighbourhood to live in Oldham?

By our composite liveability score (which blends safety, transport, schools, rent affordability and EPC), the top-ranked neighbourhood in Oldham is Oldham Town North at 100/100. The score is editorial; see /methodology/scoring/liveability for the formula.

Is Oldham a safe area?

Oldham has an average safety score of 100/100 across its constituent neighbourhoods (higher is safer). The score is the national percentile rank of police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, inverted so 100 means the safest 1% of England + Wales.

What is council tax in Oldham?

The most common council tax band in Oldham is not yet published, with the Band D annual charge currently around £2,163. Council tax is set at the local authority level so the same banding applies to every postcode within Oldham.

What is the average salary in Oldham?

The median annual resident salary in Oldham is £29,124, per ONS ASHE 2025. This is salary for people who live in Oldham, not for people who commute in to work there. Workplace median salary is published separately.

What is the average house price in Oldham?

The average property price in Oldham is approximately £211,734 according to HM Land Registry's House Price Index. Individual neighbourhoods vary — typically ±20% around this council area median.

What's the rental yield in Oldham?

Gross rental yield in Oldham is approximately 5.1% — the council-area level median rent annualised over the council-area level median sale price. Net yield (after agency, void, maintenance and tax) typically runs 30–40% lower.

How long does it take to save a deposit in Oldham?

Saving a 10% deposit at the council area median sale price on the council area median salary, while putting away 10% of takehome pay each month, takes approximately 3.4 years in Oldham. Faster if you save more, slower if rents are eating into savings.

Is gigabit broadband available in Oldham?

100% of premises in Oldham are gigabit-capable per Ofcom Connected Nations 2025. Coverage is patchier in older terraces and rural fringes — check your specific postcode for service availability.

What's the unemployment rate in Oldham?

6.6% of 16-64 residents in Oldham are on the DWP Claimant Count — Universal Credit while seeking work, or Jobseeker's Allowance. That's the live monthly local indicator. It's narrower than the ONS Labour Force Survey "ILO unemployment rate" (which counts anyone actively job-seeking on a separate denominator) and narrower again than Census 2021's "% unemployed" (which is calculated against all 16+ residents and so isn't directly comparable).

How many neighbourhoods are in Oldham?

Oldham contains 34 neighbourhood neighbourhoods covering 142 sub-areas (local areas). Browse the full list at the bottom of this page or use the neighbourhood map above to drill into a specific area.

City · North West

Living in Oldham

34 neighbourhoods · 142 sub-areas

Updated May 2026

Where on the UK

Crime vs nat. avg

161.4× safer

161.4× safer than nat. · 0.6 / 1k / yr · #3 of 318 cities

Police.uk crime data · Feb 2026

Good schools

100%

#1 of 296 cities

Ofsted inspections · Feb 2026

Commute to hub

51 min

#98 of 318 cities

DfT Journey Times 2019 · 2019 (programme paused)

Jobs density

0.38

#207 of 318 cities

ONS BRES · 2024

Avg rent

£910/mo

+11.8% YoY · #112 of 314 cities

ONS Rent Index (PIPR) · Mar 2026

Council tax

£164/mo

Estimated (Band D)

MHCLG Council Tax Band D · 2026

Section 1 / 8

Neighbourhoods in Oldham

Tap any row or map polygon to drill into that neighbourhood — 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.

34 neighbourhoods · 142 sub-areas

Rent, scores and YoY change at a glance.


Salem	£785	+11.8%	85	100
Chadderton South East	£794	+11.8%	85	100
Oldham Town North	£798	+11.8%	100	100
Waterhead	£808	+11.8%	85	100
Chadderton Central	£812	+11.8%	85	100
Oldham Town South	£816	+11.8%	92	100
Hathershaw	£820	+11.8%	85	100
Derker	£821	+11.8%	85	100
Failsworth East	£827	+11.8%	85	—
Oldham 036	£841	+11.8%	92	100
Royton South East	£851	+11.8%	92	100
Chadderton South West	£855	+11.8%	85	100
Busk	£867	+11.8%	85	100
Alt	£868	+11.8%	85	—
Lime Side & Garden Suburb	£879	+11.8%	85	100
Wood End	£891	+11.8%	85	—
Lees & Hey	£894	+11.8%	85	—
Failsworth West	£917	+11.8%	85	100
Royton South West	£920	+11.8%	83	100
Clough & Shaw Side	£925	+11.8%	85	100
Alexandra Park	£934	+11.8%	85	100
Royton North	£941	+11.8%	78	—
Oldham 037	£947	+11.8%	85	—
Holt Lane End & Bardsley	£964	+11.8%	78	100
Chadderton North	£966	+11.8%	84	100
Shaw & Crompton	£981	+11.8%	84	100
Royton East & Cowlishaw	£984	+11.8%	85	100
Failsworth South	£987	+11.8%	82	—
Moorside & Sholver	£996	+11.8%	70	100
Middleton Junction	£1,017	+11.8%	78	100
Springhead & Grasscroft	£1,041	+11.8%	40	—
Diggle, Delph & Denshaw	£1,062	+11.8%	29	100
New Delph, Dobcross & Austerlands	£1,124	+11.8%	33	100
Greenfield & Uppermill	£1,270	+11.8%	37	—

Sources: ONS, MHCLG, DfT, DESNZ, Defra, Police.uk, Ofsted, Ofcom, HM Land Registry. Some columns (salary, council tax, HPI) are published at council-area level.

Section 2 / 8

Where to look in Oldham

Three short answers to "where should I focus?" in Oldham. Each list is filtered from the same neighbourhood data above — the basis of each shortlist is stated above the list so you know what's been weighted.

Top 5 cheapest

Lowest estimated monthly rent. Rent is the LAD-published ONS PIPR median, scaled per neighbourhood by local sale prices (Land Registry).

Top 5 most desirable

Highest composite liveability — combines safety, schools, transport access and rental affordability into one 0–100 score (higher = more liveable).

Top 5 best value

Highest liveability per pound of rent — desirable areas where rent stays close to or below the Oldham median.

Section 3 / 8

Cost of living

Median rent and council tax across Oldham.

Avg rent

£910/mo

#112 of 314 cities

ONS Rent Index (PIPR) · Mar 2026

Council tax

£164/mo

MHCLG Council Tax Band D · 2026

Sale price

£192,500

+3.5% YoY

HM Land Registry Price Paid · Jan 2025

Yrs to deposit

3.4 yr

Rent & price breakdownBy bedroom count · property type · affordability

council-area level rent by bedroom

ONS PIPR median for the council area

1 bed£679/mo

2 bed£848/mo

3 bed£1,029/mo

4 bed£1,409/mo

Sale price by property type

HMLR HPI average

Detached£371,850

Semi-detached£241,358

Terraced£179,397

Flat£129,757

Affordability

Price-to-earnings6.9×

Rent / take-home38%

Council tax (estimated, full council area)£1,967/yr

Mortgage (25y, 5%)£1,052/mo

Rent: ONS PIPR (council area). Council tax: VOA + MHCLG. Sale prices: HM Land Registry.

Section 4 / 8

Safety in Oldham

Greater Manchester Police don't publish to data.police.uk, so crime metrics for Oldham are intentionally blank. National rank against the 335 council area peer set is shown for context where available.

Source: data.police.uk — incident counts adjusted for population, then averaged across the council area's neighbourhoods. National average = England + Wales population-weighted mean.

Section 5 / 8

Schools in Oldham

100% of schools serving Oldham are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. Best 5% nationally (#1 of 296 cities)

Good or Outstanding

100%

#1 of 296 cities

Ofsted inspections · Feb 2026

Outstanding only

Ofsted inspections · Feb 2026

Good w/in 2 km

36%

#151 of 318 cities

Ofsted (spatial) · Feb 2026

Schools rated

Ofsted inspections · Feb 2026

School breakdownOfsted distribution · best neighbourhoods for schools

Ofsted rating distribution

Good100%

Outstanding (count)0

Good (count)1

Requires improvement0

Inadequate0

Best neighbourhoods for schools in Oldham

by school score

Busk94/100

Holt Lane End & Bardsley93/100

Oldham Town North89/100

Ofsted school inspection ratings, latest inspection per school.

Section 6 / 8

Transport in Oldham

Modelled door-to-door commute from this council area to nearby employment hubs. Closest first.

Best hub

51 min

#98 of 318 cities

DfT Journey Times 2019 · 2019 (programme paused)

To Manchester

51 min

Median across local areas

DfT Journey Times 2019 · 2019 (programme paused)

To Liverpool

89 min

Median across local areas

DfT Journey Times 2019 · 2019 (programme paused)

To Sheffield

100 min

Median across local areas

DfT Journey Times 2019 · 2019 (programme paused)

Transport detailAll city commute times · mode share · best-connected neighbourhoods

Commute to major UK cities

public transport, off-peak typical

Manchester

51 min

Liverpool

89 min

Sheffield

100 min

Leeds

107 min

Birmingham

140 min

London

172 min

Bristol

237 min

Cardiff

239 min

Edinburgh

242 min

Glasgow

244 min

How residents travel to work

Census 2021, mode share

Car59%Public7%Active9%WFH20%

Best-connected neighbourhoods in Oldham

by transport score

Failsworth West97/100

Oldham Town North97/100

Busk97/100

DfT Journey Time Statistics + ONS Travel-to-Work.

Section 7 / 8

Job access from Oldham

Oldham has 0.38 jobs per resident locally. Below median

Jobs per resident

0.38

#207 of 318 cities

ONS BRES · 2024

Drive to 5,000+ jobs

12 min

DfT Journey Times 2019 · 2019 (programme paused)

PT to 5,000+ jobs

26 min

DfT Journey Times 2019 · 2019 (programme paused)

5y jobs growth

+9.6%

ONS Jobs Density · 2024

Job access detailReachability tiers · sector mix in this council area

Reachable jobs by mode

Drive — 100 jobs6 min

PT — 100 jobs6 min

Drive — 500 jobs7 min

PT — 500 jobs9 min

Drive — 5,000 jobs12 min

PT — 5,000 jobs26 min

Local job mix by sector

ONS BRES, % of local jobs

Health & social care

24.4%

Retail & hospitality

21.9%

Manufacturing

10.6%

Education

9.6%

Construction

6.2%

Professional & business svcs

4.0%

Tech & ICT

1.6%

Finance & insurance

0.5%

ONS BRES (jobs density) + DfT job-accessibility minutes.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Oldham

Short answers to the questions we get most often. Each answer is anchored in the data above and links onward where you can dig deeper.

What is the average rent in Oldham?: The median monthly rent across Oldham is £910, based on ONS Private Rental Prices data. Individual neighbourhoods vary — see the shortlist above for the cheapest and most desirable areas.
Where is the cheapest place to rent in Oldham?: The cheapest neighbourhood in Oldham by estimated median rent is Salem at approximately £785/month. The full top-five cheapest list and our methodology are above.
What's the best neighbourhood to live in Oldham?: By our composite liveability score (which blends safety, transport, schools, rent affordability and EPC), the top-ranked neighbourhood in Oldham is Oldham Town North at 100/100. The score is editorial; see /methodology/scoring/liveability for the formula.
Is Oldham a safe area?: Oldham has an average safety score of 100/100 across its constituent neighbourhoods (higher is safer). The score is the national percentile rank of police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, inverted so 100 means the safest 1% of England + Wales.
What is council tax in Oldham?: The most common council tax band in Oldham is not yet published, with the Band D annual charge currently around £2,163. Council tax is set at the local authority level so the same banding applies to every postcode within Oldham.
What is the average salary in Oldham?: The median annual resident salary in Oldham is £29,124, per ONS ASHE 2025. This is salary for people who live in Oldham, not for people who commute in to work there. Workplace median salary is published separately.
What is the average house price in Oldham?: The average property price in Oldham is approximately £211,734 according to HM Land Registry's House Price Index. Individual neighbourhoods vary — typically ±20% around this council area median.
What's the rental yield in Oldham?: Gross rental yield in Oldham is approximately 5.1% — the council-area level median rent annualised over the council-area level median sale price. Net yield (after agency, void, maintenance and tax) typically runs 30–40% lower.
How long does it take to save a deposit in Oldham?: Saving a 10% deposit at the council area median sale price on the council area median salary, while putting away 10% of takehome pay each month, takes approximately 3.4 years in Oldham. Faster if you save more, slower if rents are eating into savings.
Is gigabit broadband available in Oldham?: 100% of premises in Oldham are gigabit-capable per Ofcom Connected Nations 2025. Coverage is patchier in older terraces and rural fringes — check your specific postcode for service availability.
What's the unemployment rate in Oldham?: 6.6% of 16-64 residents in Oldham are on the DWP Claimant Count — Universal Credit while seeking work, or Jobseeker's Allowance. That's the live monthly local indicator. It's narrower than the ONS Labour Force Survey "ILO unemployment rate" (which counts anyone actively job-seeking on a separate denominator) and narrower again than Census 2021's "% unemployed" (which is calculated against all 16+ residents and so isn't directly comparable).
How many neighbourhoods are in Oldham?: Oldham contains 34 neighbourhood neighbourhoods covering 142 sub-areas (local areas). Browse the full list at the bottom of this page or use the neighbourhood map above to drill into a specific area.

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Section 8 / 8

All sub-areas in Oldham

Every local area, ordered by crawl priority. Most readers want the neighbourhood-level view — these are for deep-link cases or external search-engine arrivals.

Showing 80 of 142 sub-areas. Drill into any neighbourhood above for the full sub-area list.

Planning to move to Oldham? See the moving checklist →