Looking to get on the property ladder but Manchester and its surrounding boroughs a little too out of your price range? But just how far do you need to go from Manchester to find the cheapest place to live? Less than an hour, in fact. We analysed the latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and found out which areas are the cheapest to buy a house in the North West region, so you don’t have to, and one area has an average house price of £122K. Sold!
According to the ONS house price index for December 2024, the average house price in England was £291,000 and £226,744 for first time buyers in the country. In the North West, the average house price was £211,030, however, the average house price in Greater Manchester was £230,249, exceeding the regional average, meaning some house-buyers need to cast their net a little wider in order to afford to buy a property.
Ranking the average house prices for North West local authorities, we found out that Burnley was the cheapest place to buy with the average house price being £122,188, however up from £104,309 compared to November 2023. The journey from Burnley to Manchester city centre takes roughly 55 minutes by car and there is a direct bus (X43 Witchway) which takes 1 hour and 19 minutes and a 46 minute train journey.
Coming in after Burnley as one of the cheapest places to live in the North West is Hyndburn, which is home to towns such as Accrington, Clayton-le-Moors, Great Harwood, Oswaldtwistle and Rishton, and with average house prices of £129,256. The third cheapest according to the ONS was Blackpool (perfect if you want sea air and a bargain) wirh average house prices of £134,013 followed by Burnley’s neighbourhood, Pendle, with the average house prices being £141,891.
As for the most expensive place to buy a home in the North West it comes as no surprise that it’s Cheshire East with the average house price of £294,808. In this area you’ll find towns such as Alsager, Congleton, Crewe, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Middlewich, Nantwich and Poynton, with many having train stations perfect for commuters to Manchester.
Ribble Valley (£273,246), located just over an hour drive’s north of Manchester and home to Clitheroe and the Forest of Bowland, was the next most expensive place to buy a house in the region, followed by Cheshire West and Chester (£262,255).
The average house prices in December 2024 for local authorities in the North West (excluding Greater Manchester boroughs) – from cheapest to most expensive
- Burnley: £122,188
- Hyndburn: £129,256
- Blackpool: £134,013
- Pendle: £141,891
- Blackburn with Darwen: £158,790
- Cumberland: £167,296
- St Helens: £175,520
- Liverpool: £176,211
- Knowsley: £180,660
- Halton: £181,814
- Wyre: £184,008
- Rossendale: £185,731
- Lancaster: £197,104
- Chorley: £207,177
- South Ribble: £207,559
- Wirral: £208,557
- Sefton: £220,341
- Fylde: £231,814
- West Lancashire: £232,303
- Westmorland and Furness: £236,511
- Warrington: £239,625
- Cheshire West and Chester: £262,255
- Ribble Valley: £273,246
- Cheshire East: £294,808
You can find the full list of house prices for all local authorities in England here.