GeraRent · Area head-to-head
Knowsley vs Wigan: which is the better place to live?
Is Knowsley or Wigan a better place to live?
As of June 2026, comparing Knowsley and Wigan across house prices, crime, schools, broadband and GP access, Wigan wins overall with a Gera Liveability Score of 77/100 versus 75.8/100. Gera computes this head-to-head from six UK government open datasets and re-runs it quarterly.
| Measure | Knowsley | Wigan | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gera Liveability Score | 75.8/100 | 77/100 | Wigan |
| Better value | 63 | 70.9 | Wigan |
| For families | 85.4 | 93.8 | Wigan |
| For commuters | 82.6 | 64.3 | Knowsley |
| For healthcare access | 57.4 | 61.6 | Wigan |
| Avg house price | £192,756 | £190,802 | Wigan (cheaper) |
| Band D council tax | £2,488 | £2,153 | Wigan (lower) |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 80.8% | 96.2% | Wigan |
| Crime per 1,000 | 93.1 | 103.9 | Knowsley (safer) |
| Gigabit broadband | 97.7% | 93.9% | Knowsley |
| Gera GP Access score | 57.4 | 61.6 | Wigan |
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Wigan wins overall: Gera Liveability Score 77/100 vs 75.8/100.
| Verdict | Knowsley | Wigan | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 75.8 | 77 | Wigan (+1.2) |
| Better value | 63 | 70.9 | Wigan (+7.9) |
| For families | 85.4 | 93.8 | Wigan (+8.4) |
| For commuters | 82.6 | 64.3 | Knowsley (+18.3) |
| For healthcare access | 57.4 | 61.6 | Wigan (+4.2) |
| Measure | Knowsley | Wigan |
|---|---|---|
| Avg house price | £192,756 | £190,802 |
| Band D council tax | £2,488 | £2,153 |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 80.8% | 96.2% |
| Crime per 1,000 | 93.1 | 103.9 |
| Gigabit broadband | 97.7% | 93.9% |
| Gera GP Access score | 57.4 | 61.6 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Knowsley or Wigan a better place to live overall?
- Wigan scores higher overall: a Gera Liveability Score of 77/100 versus 75.8/100 (Gera, June 2026), a gap of 1.2 points.
- Which is cheaper to rent and buy, Knowsley or Wigan?
- On affordability — average house price plus Band D council tax — Wigan is better value. Average house prices are £192,756 in Knowsley and £190,802 in Wigan; Band D council tax is £2,488 versus £2,153 (HM Land Registry + MHCLG, June 2026).
- Is Knowsley or Wigan better for families?
- Weighting schools (60%) and safety (40%), Wigan comes out ahead for families. Knowsley has 80.8% of schools rated Good or Outstanding and a crime rate of 93.1 per 1,000; Wigan has 96.2% and 103.9 per 1,000 (Ofsted + Home Office, June 2026).
- Which has better broadband, Knowsley or Wigan?
- For connectivity, Knowsley has 97.7% gigabit-capable premises and Wigan has 93.9% (Ofcom, June 2026). Knowsley leads on the commuter blend of broadband (70%) and affordability (30%).
- Is GP access better in Knowsley or Wigan?
- On the Gera GP Access score, Knowsley scores 57.4 (Cheshire and Merseyside ICB) and Wigan scores 61.6 (Greater Manchester ICB). Wigan has the better GP access (NHS England, June 2026).
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Contains public sector information published by GeraRent and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Gera Liveability Index — joined UK government open data (June 2026, published 2026-06-19).