I grew up in Sandbach. Nantwich is cheaper than some of the surrounding areas, such as Sandbach. Crewe is a dump, do not live there. Winsford is a dump, do not live there. Middlewich is a dump, do not live there.
You need to travel there and get a feel for the place. If you exclude Crewe, which really is the spunky rag of the UK, the rest of Cheshire you'll be looking at around 200k to buy a nice house, in a good area. Most of the schools are fairly decent but check the Ofsted reports if you're planning to, or have, kids.
Most important thing to remember is that Cheshire has some of the busiest roads around, particularly the M6. As such, they have a very large and unforgiving police force. The motorway is littered with cops looking to bag a speeder etc. Something to bear in mind.
Overall it's a lovely place to live though. I'm currently residing in Manchester, however my fiancée and I are looking to move back to Cheshire as soon as possible. It's a much nicer way of life there, people are friendlier. I know if sounds stupid, but it still feels like a place where you could leave your door unlocked and you'd be ok, if that makes sense? It' the best county in the North
