✦ Compare
Amsterdam vs
Manchester
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
To keep the same standard of living in Manchester, UK, you'd need
$64,626 / year
Manchester, UK is 14% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Manchester, UK vs Amsterdam, NL)
- Housing-28%
- Food & groceries-2%
- Transport-3%
- Utilities0%
- Healthcare-15%
- Goods & services-5%
Median 1-bed rent
$2,100 /mo
Amsterdam, NL overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$1,100 /mo
Manchester, UK overview →
◎ How Amsterdam, NL and Manchester, UK compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Amsterdam, NL | Manchester, UK | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 127 | 109 |
| Housing | 165 | 118 |
| Food | 112 | 110 |
| Transport | 95 | 92 |
| Utilities | 122 | 122 |
| Healthcare | 100 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 116 | 110 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $2,100/mo | $1,100/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,500/mo | $820/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $4,000/mo | $2,100/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $9,000 | $4,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $787 | $914 |
| Inexpensive meal | $20 | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | $100 | $85 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 49.5% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 21% | 20% |
| Social security (employee) | — | 8% |
| Corporate tax | 25.8% | 25% |
| Capital gains | — | 24% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $3,100/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,100/mo | $2,050/mo |
| GDP per capita | $73,684 | $57,602 |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.3% | 3.9% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | High | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 90 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+0 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 68 | 55 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 80 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 42 |
| Internet speed | 160 Mbps | 140 Mbps |
| Walkability | 90 | 80 |
| Public transport | 88 | 72 |
| Family-friendly | 70 | 68 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 82 yr | 81 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +4 °C | +4 °C |
| July avg | +18 °C | +16 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 60 | 100 |
| Rainfall / year | 840 mm | 870 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Netherlands vs United Kingdom. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Amsterdam
Compact, bike-first and very English-friendly — a favourite expat landing pad, if you can win the tight housing lottery.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Dutch
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 160 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 68/100
- Climate
- ❄ 4°C · ☀ 18°C · 60 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Jordaan · De Pijp · Oost
Good to know before you move to Manchester
The capital of the UK's north — a music-and-football city reinventing itself as a fast-growing media and tech hub. Rents run roughly half of London's, the crowd is young and the nightlife serious; the trade-off is the famously grey, wet weather.
- Currency
- Pound sterling (£ GBP)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC+0
- Internet
- 140 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 4°C · ☀ 16°C · 100 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- G · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Northern Quarter · Ancoats · Didsbury · Chorlton
Plan your move to Amsterdam
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Manchester
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Amsterdam to Manchester: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Amsterdam to Manchester, your cost of living will be roughly 14% cheaper. Manchester’s cost-of-living index is 109 versus 127 for Amsterdam (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Amsterdam cheaper than Manchester?
Manchester is about 14% cheaper than Amsterdam overall — its cost-of-living index is 109 versus 127 for Amsterdam.
How much do you need to earn in Manchester to live like in Amsterdam?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Amsterdam is worth about $64,626 in Manchester. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Amsterdam or Manchester?
United Kingdom has the lower top income-tax rate — 45% versus 49.5% in Netherlands.
◷ More comparisons from Amsterdam
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.