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Berlin 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.

$/ year

To keep the same standard of living in Manchester, UK, you'd need

$74,727 / year

Manchester, UK is 0% cheaper overall

Category breakdown (Manchester, UK vs Berlin, DE)

  • Housing-3%
  • Food & groceries+2%
  • Transport+8%
  • Utilities-8%
  • Healthcare-11%
  • Goods & services+4%

How Berlin, DE and Manchester, UK compare

HousingFood & groceriesTransportUtilitiesHealthcareGoods & services
Berlin, DEManchester, UK

Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.

Full comparison

Berlin, DEManchester, UK
Cost of living
Overall cost index110109
Housing122118
Food108110
Transport8592
Utilities132122
Healthcare9585
Goods & services106110
Housing
Rent, 1-bed centre$1,400/mo$1,100/mo
Rent, 1-bed outside$1,000/mo$820/mo
Rent, 3-bed centre$2,800/mo$2,100/mo
Buy price / m² centre$8,500$4,500
Money & purchasing power
$1,000 goes as far as$910$914
Inexpensive meal$15$18
Monthly transit pass$55$85
Taxes
Income tax (top rate)45%45%
VAT / sales tax19%20%
Social security (employee)20%8%
Corporate tax30%25%
Capital gains26.4%24%
Economy & salaries
Avg net salary$2,900/mo$2,900/mo
Minimum wage$2,200/mo$2,050/mo
GDP per capita$60,496$57,602
Inflation (annual)2.2%3.9%
Work & digital nomad
Digital-nomad visaNoNo
English proficiencyHighNative
Coworking spaces12040
Time zoneUTC+1UTC+0
Quality of life
Safety index6055
Healthcare index7880
Pollution index5542
Internet speed120 Mbps140 Mbps
Walkability8880
Public transport9072
Family-friendly6868
Tap waterSafe to drinkSafe to drink
Life expectancy81 yr81 yr
LGBTQ+ acceptanceHighHigh
Climate
January avg+1 °C+4 °C
July avg+19 °C+16 °C
Sunny days / year60100
Rainfall / year570 mm870 mm
Connectivity
Flight to nearest hub1.5 h1 h

Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany 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 Berlin

Germany's creative and startup magnet — still the cheapest major Western-European capital, though rents are climbing fast.

Currency
Euro (€ EUR)
Languages
German
Time zone
UTC+1
Internet
120 Mbps
English
Widely spoken
Safety
60/100
Climate
❄ 1°C · ☀ 19°C · 60 sunny days/yr
Tap water
Safe to drink
Power
F · 230V
Driving
Right-hand side
Popular areas
Kreuzberg · Mitte · Neukölln

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

? Frequently asked questions

Moving from Berlin to Manchester: cheaper or more expensive?

Moving from Berlin to Manchester, your cost of living will be roughly 0% cheaper. Manchester’s cost-of-living index is 109 versus 110 for Berlin (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.

Is Berlin cheaper than Manchester?

Manchester is about 0% cheaper than Berlin overall — its cost-of-living index is 109 versus 110 for Berlin.

How much do you need to earn in Manchester to live like in Berlin?

To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Berlin is worth about $74,727 in Manchester. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.

Which has lower taxes, Berlin or Manchester?

Germany has the lower top income-tax rate — 45% versus 45% in United Kingdom.

More comparisons from Berlin

Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.