United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Manchester vs Wirral
Manchester (North West, England · ~556k people) · Wirral (North West, England · ~324k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Manchester leads on 2, Wirral on 4, 1 effectively tied. 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
Wirral
£37,866/yr
Worse than 64% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Manchester
£247,500
Better than 61% of UK LAs
Wirral
£217,500
Better than 74% of UK LAs
Wirral: 14% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Manchester
£1,347/mo
Worse than 75% of UK LAs
Wirral
£830/mo
Better than 69% of UK LAs
Wirral: 62% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Manchester
£2,312/yr
Better than 77% of UK LAs
Wirral
£2,501/yr
Worse than 69% of UK LAs
Manchester: £189 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
Wirral
69.9/1k
Around UK average
Wirral: 105% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Manchester
40.0
Worse than 98% of UK LAs
Wirral
29.6
Worse than 86% of UK LAs
Wirral: lower average deprivation score (29.6 vs 40.0).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Manchester
90.3%
Worse than 76% of UK LAs
Wirral
88.0%
Worse than 85% of UK LAs
Manchester: 2.3 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
Wirral
Rent takes 26% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 5.7× median annual pay
Full Manchester profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Wirral profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.