Free tool · 29 towns
Compare all 29 Manchester commuter towns on one map
Filter 29 towns by train time, house prices, safety, broadband speed and life satisfaction, then score each one by the factors that matter most to you.
What goes into each town's score
The map scores each town using a weighted combination of the criteria below, plus green space and heritage from the town's own page. Switch between three priority modes (balanced, fastest commute or best value) to re-rank every dot on the map.
Commute time
Typical off-peak direct train time into central Manchester (data from National Rail).
Average house price
Mean sold price by postcode district (HM Land Registry, latest 12 months).
Safety & crime
Crime index on a 0–100 scale. Lower is safer. Source: ONS / police.uk.
Broadband speed
Average available download speed by local area. Source: Ofcom Connected Nations.
Life satisfaction
ONS Personal Well-being mean score (0–10, higher is better) for the local authority.
Sample commuter towns in the tool
The tool covers 29 towns. The table below shows a selection with key stats.
| Town | County | Train to Manchester | Avg price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton-under-Lyne | Greater Manchester | 12 min | £190k |
| Stockport | Greater Manchester | 13 min | £290k |
| Newton-le-Willows | Merseyside | 18 min | £195k |
| Rochdale | Greater Manchester | 18 min | £190k |
| Bolton | Greater Manchester | 20 min | £195k |
| Stalybridge | Greater Manchester | 20 min | £213k |
| Poynton | Cheshire | 22 min | — |
| Wilmslow | Cheshire | 22 min | £414k |
| Macclesfield | Cheshire | 23 min | £292k |
| Littleborough | Greater Manchester | 24 min | £220k |
| Warrington | Cheshire | 24 min | £245k |
| Marple | Greater Manchester | 25 min | — |
House prices: HM Land Registry. Train times: National Rail off-peak direct service.
Further reading
Find your commuter sweet spot
Filter, score and compare 29 towns on one interactive map. Free to use, no sign-up required.