St Matthew's
Preston 014 · 4 sub-areas · 9,876 residents
Preston 014 is a densely populated neighbourhood in Preston, home to around 9,900 people and one of the most affordable corners of the city. A typical two-bedroom lets for about £720 a month, and the deposit hurdle is low too, at roughly two years' savings. The trade-off is a higher-than-average crime rate and a limited range of highly-rated nearby schools.
St Matthew's is a mid-density neighbourhood of Preston in the North West region. It sits between busier and quieter parts of the local authority and isn't dominated by a single use — there's a mix of workplaces, housing and local services. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children; the rental market is active and turnover is high — people move through rather than stay.
Overview
What's it like to live in St Matthew's?
2 parks and 1 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £778 a month; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 4 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
St Matthew's in Preston
Living in St Matthew's
Preston 014 sits firmly at the affordable end of the Preston rental market. It's a busy, high-density neighbourhood with a young, mixed population — over a quarter of residents are under 18, and nearly three in ten are aged 18 to 34. That age profile gives the area an active, community feel, though it also means demand for local school places is real and competition for the better-rated ones can be fierce.
The cost picture is striking. At around £720 a month for a two-bedroom, you're paying a fraction of what renters in Manchester city centre or London hand over. Median house prices sit at roughly £112,000 — low enough that a deposit is achievable in under two years at median local wages, which is rare almost anywhere in England. That affordability is the neighbourhood's clearest selling point.
Who lives here reflects those price points. Tenure is split almost evenly three ways: around a third own their home, a third rent privately, and just over 30% are in social housing — an unusually balanced mix. Ethnic diversity is high, with a diversity index of 55 and only two-thirds of residents UK-born, which shapes the local shops, food scene and community networks in ways you'll notice day-to-day.
Practically, most residents drive — around half commute by car, with just over one in eight using public transport. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2.2 km away, so a car or bike helps. Manchester is around an hour away by public transport. Working from home is above average here at just over 15% of residents. For broadband, the area is fully gigabit-enabled with no sub-standard connections — see the streets and sub-areas below for more.
What you'll need on day one
Compare St Matthew's with
Frequently asked
- Is Preston 014 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. If affordability is the main factor, it's hard to beat — two-bedroom rents run around £720 a month and deposits are achievable in under two years. The trade-offs are a high crime rate, sitting more than double the UK average, and below-average school quality in the immediate area. It suits budget-conscious renters and buyers who are practical about urban living.
- What is the rent in Preston 014?
- A one-bedroom typically lets for around £570 a month, a two-bedroom around £720, and a three-bedroom around £845. These figures are estimates scaled from council-level ONS data using local sale prices. Rents rose roughly 7.8% year-on-year, in line with the broader North West trend.
- Is Preston 014 safe?
- Crime runs high here — around 181 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, more than double the UK national rate of roughly 80. The area sits in the most deprived decile nationally, which correlates with elevated crime. It's worth checking street-level crime data for specific streets before committing, as risk levels vary within the neighbourhood.
- What's the commute from Preston 014 to Manchester?
- By public transport it's around 61 minutes to Manchester. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2.2 km away, so most residents drive or cycle to the station. Just over half of residents commute by car, and around one in eight uses public transport.
- Who lives in Preston 014?
- A young, mixed population — over a quarter of residents are under 18 and nearly three in ten are aged 18 to 34. Tenure is split roughly equally between owner-occupiers, private renters and social housing tenants. Around a third of residents were born outside the UK, and ethnic diversity is high. About one in five holds a degree-level qualification.
- What schools are near Preston 014?
- There are 98 schools within 2 km, so options aren't scarce. The challenge is quality — only around 35% of nearby schools are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, compared to roughly 89% nationally. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is just under 4 km away. It's worth researching individual school ratings and admissions boundaries carefully before choosing a specific street.
- How affordable is buying a home in Preston 014?
- Median house prices sit at around £112,000 — low by any national comparison. At local median salaries, a deposit is achievable in roughly two years, which is one of the more realistic ownership timelines in the North West. That said, the rent-to-take-home ratio of 41% suggests local wages are modest relative to even these low rents.