Two Greater Manchester towns have been named among the “most desirable” places to live in Britain, according to a new ranking.
There’s no doubt the property market in our region has been booming over the last decade or so, with average house prices seeming to rise year-on-year, and more and more areas becoming viewed as the places to live.
You may remember that earlier on this year, two unexpected Greater Manchester areas were named ‘property hotspots’ for 2023 by Rightmove based on last year’s data, while only a couple of months back, neighbourhoods such as Bramhall, Broadheath, and Bowdon were identified as being the places where houses prices were shooting up the most.
Trafford has always been one of the most affluent and sought-after areas to live in Greater Manchester, but now it seems that it’s not just within the region that the borough is proving popular, as it also appears to be a heavy-hitter nationwide too.
Well, that’s if a new list of the best places to live in Britain by Savills is anything to go by.
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🏡 High-earners in search of good schools and attractive surroundings are pushing up prices in these hotspots
Using the latest data from the most recent census, the real estate company has compiled a list – as reported by the Telegraph – of what it considers to be the top 50 “most desirable” towns in Britain, based of several key factors including state of health, cost of homes, employment figures and job opportunities, and the qualifications that residents hold.
And two Trafford towns have made the cut to earn themselves a coveted spot in the top 20 – Hale and Altrincham.
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As the only two North West representatives in the whole of the top 20, the leafy Altrincham village suburb of Hale – which is a favourite among A-listers, professional footballers, and high-earning families – has taken sixth spot on the list, while the town of Altrincham itself has bagged a respectable 19th place.
The rest of the top 20 list is, unsurprisingly, dominated by areas in the Home Counties.
Top 20 ‘most desirable’ towns in Britain
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Cobham, Surrey
Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Chorleywood, Bukcinghamshire
Amersham, Buckinghamshire
Hale, Greater Manchester
Esher, Surrey
Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire
Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
St Albans, Hertfordshire
Virginia Water, Surrey
Sevenoaks, Kent
West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
Ashtead, Surrey
Farnham, Surrey
Cambridge
Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
North Ascot, Berkshire
Altrincham, Greater Manchester
Weybridge, Surrey
Harpenden in Hertfordshire took the top spot, followed by Cobham in Surrey, and then Beaconsfield, Chorleywood, and Amersham, all in Buckinghamshire, rounding out the top five.
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Hale and Altrincham have made the top 20 list / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph) | Atrincham Market (via Facebook)
The rest of the top 20 is made up of a series of other Surrey suburbs, as well as neighbourhoods in Oxfordshire, Kent, and Berkshire featuring – with the only other area even slightly close to the north being West Bridgford in Nottinghamshire.
Lucian Cook, who is head of residential research for Savills, told The Telegraph that each of the areas named within the top 20 – including Hale and Altrincham – are not there because they are tourist or second-home hotspots.
“They are aspirational, affluent places that attract incoming wealth with good schools and a strong quality of housing stock where residents are economically active who are building up their property and personal wealth,” he explained.
Inside the regal Cheshire home for sale on one of Britain’s most expensive roads
Emily Sergeant
A stunning detached family home on one of Britain’s most expensive roads is currently on the market over in Cheshire.
In case you hadn’t heard, a recent report by The Times has revealed where you’ll find Britain’s top 20 most expensive roads for 2026, based off Rightmove data, and Congleton Road in Alderley Edge – slap bang in the middle of Cheshire’s iconic ‘Golden Triangle’ – has appeared in the top five most expensive outside of London.
So we snooped around to see what your money (… or your hypothetical money, at least) can get you on this street, and came across a regal residence currently for sale for a whopping £4.95 million.
This is Highclere – a six-bedroom detached family home occupying a private plot of over 1.3 acres and enjoying panoramic views across the adjoining Cheshire countryside.
This is Highclere – a stunning family home on one of Britain’s most expensive roads / Credit: Andrew J Nowell
Approached behind electric gates, and set back along a sweeping driveway, estate agents say Highclere has been ‘carefully and tastefully’ renovated by the current owners.
It now offers ‘spacious and versatile’ accommodation, and benefits from being within easy reach of Alderley Edge village centre and all the amenities it’s known and loved for.
Some of the stand-out features include an impressive reception hall with large sweeping staircase, open living kitchen with a large central island, large bedrooms, and a full leisure suite with a pool, jacuzzi, steam room, and showers.
There’s also a dedicated bar area, a games room, cinema room, and a gym.
Upstairs is where you’ll find what is described as the ‘unparallelled’ principal bedroom suite with two large dressing rooms, its own living area, en-suite bathroom, and a powder room, as well as four other large bedrooms.
Just as you’d expect, the outside of Highclere is as impressive as the inside.
The property is set within a private plot of over 1.3 acres enjoying panoramic views / Credit: Andrew J Nowell
Not only are there expansive terraced lawns with mature trees and shrubs and two large courtyards perfect for outdoor entertaining, but there is also a large driveway providing off-road parking for multiple vehicles and a detached double garage converted into annexe accomodation.
This property is currently on the market with Alderley Edge-based independent estate agents, Andrew J Nowell, for a Guide Price of £4.95 million, and if you fancy taking a closer look, then you can contact the agents to arrange a viewing.
Or you could just take the cheaper route instead and have a nosy at the Rightmove link here.
Featured Image – Andrew J Nowell
Property
Manchester rent is now ‘41% more expensive than five years ago, according to a recent study
Danny Jones
Yes, that’s right, as per some of the latest data on leased housing in central Manchester, it’s now approximately 41% more expensive to rent here than it was half a decade ago.
If you’ve lived in and around the city centre for long enough, chances are that you’ve already been feeling that difference, especially of late.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis roughly began in 2021, following the economy and the world essentially opening back up after multiple lockdowns, so it’s little surprise that new research has shown affordability when it comes to renting has been on a slump ever since, too.
As well as the price of seemingly most things in everyday life going up post-pandemic, the average rental rate for even just a one-bedroom flat/apartment has jumped up significantly between 2020 and 2025.
Even some ‘available’ housing in town is being hampered by claddin (Credit: Valienne via WikiCommons)
That’s according to the numbers crunched by credit card experts, Zable, anyway.
Not only did their recent report cite the rent prices going up even before the cost of living crisis – essentially following the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak – but if their figures, the rate of inflation and the unwaveringly high demand for housing are anything to go by, this trajectory is likely to continue in 2026.
As of February this year, around one in three UK households is now a single-person occupancy, which already comes with its challenges (the Manchester City Council tax discount being a thin lifeline for countless), not to mention energy bills and the cost of groceries continuing on an upwards trend.
Put in the simplest and most reductive terms, it’s now almost £300 dearer for most people to live on their own than it was back in 2020, and besides Liverpool clocking in as second on the list of increasingly expensive cities to live (a 42.12% increase), Manchester came in third.
You can see the full table down below:
Rank
City
% increase – 2020-2025
Difference from 2020 to 2025 in £
Average rental cost for a 1 bed 2025
1
Newport
47.39%
£2,611
£8,121
2
Liverpool
42.12%
£2,290
£7,727
3
Manchester
41.00%
£3,364
£11,569
4
Edinburgh
40.28%
£4,620
£16,090
5
Leicester
39.93%
£2,391
£8,379
6
Wolverhampton
39.22%
£2,049
£7,273
7
Nottingham
39.07%
£2,400
£8,543
8
Glasgow
38.02%
£2,679
£9,725
9
Colchester
37.63%
£2,617
£9,572
10
Cardiff
37.06%
£2,828
Average rental cost for a 1-bed 2025
Another fear is that with lots of people finding it hard to manage living in other major cities like London, even those moving to Manchester are also having an impact on how available affordable housing is here.
That’s why schemes such as the new ‘social rent’ development over in Wythenshawe are so important to the current generations of renters, with the possibility of owning your own property in the future becoming increasingly difficult for so many.
It’s also worth noting that Manchester ranked fourth among the British locations where the cost of living is said to have increased the most over the past five years, with the average difference in annual spend growing by an estimated 22.84%.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd June 2023 
