United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Manchester vs Wiltshire
Manchester (North West, England · ~556k people) · Wiltshire (South West, England · ~504k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Manchester leads on 2, Wiltshire on 5. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Manchester
£37,211/yr
Worse than 73% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
£39,047/yr
Around UK average
Wiltshire: 5% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Manchester
£247,500
Better than 61% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
£320,000
Worse than 60% of UK LAs
Manchester: 29% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Manchester
£1,347/mo
Worse than 75% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
£1,056/mo
Worse than 56% of UK LAs
Wiltshire: 28% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Manchester
£2,312/yr
Better than 77% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
£2,572/yr
Worse than 84% of UK LAs
Manchester: £260 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Manchester
143.2/1k
Worse than 98% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
48.9/1k
Better than 89% of UK LAs
Wiltshire: 193% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Manchester
40.0
Worse than 98% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
13.4
Better than 75% of UK LAs
Wiltshire: lower average deprivation score (13.4 vs 40.0).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Manchester
90.3%
Worse than 76% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
93.2%
Better than 59% of UK LAs
Wiltshire: 2.9 percentage points more pupils in Good/Outstanding schools.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
Manchester
Rent takes 43% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.7× median annual pay
Wiltshire
Rent takes 32% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 8.2× median annual pay
Full Manchester profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Wiltshire profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.