✦ Compare
London 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
$59,700 / year
Manchester, UK is 20% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Manchester, UK vs London, UK)
- Housing-34%
- Food & groceries-7%
- Transport-29%
- Utilities-6%
- Healthcare-3%
- Goods & services-10%
Median 1-bed rent
$2,600 /mo
London, UK overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$1,100 /mo
Manchester, UK overview →
◎ How London, UK and Manchester, UK compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| London, UK | Manchester, UK | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 138 | 109 |
| Housing | 178 | 118 |
| Food | 118 | 110 |
| Transport | 130 | 92 |
| Utilities | 130 | 122 |
| Healthcare | 88 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 122 | 110 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $2,600/mo | $1,100/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,850/mo | $820/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $5,200/mo | $2,100/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $16,000 | $4,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $727 | $914 |
| Inexpensive meal | $20 | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | $200 | $85 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 20% | 20% |
| Social security (employee) | 8% | 8% |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 25% |
| Capital gains | 24% | 24% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,050/mo | $2,050/mo |
| GDP per capita | $57,602 | $57,602 |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.9% | 3.9% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 250 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 | UTC+0 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 55 | 55 |
| Healthcare index | 74 | 80 |
| Pollution index | 60 | 42 |
| Internet speed | 90 Mbps | 140 Mbps |
| Walkability | 88 | 80 |
| Public transport | 92 | 72 |
| Family-friendly | 62 | 68 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr | 81 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +5 °C | +4 °C |
| July avg | +19 °C | +16 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 106 | 100 |
| Rainfall / year | 690 mm | 870 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United Kingdom 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 London
Europe's financial capital — unmatched jobs, culture and connections, paid for with some of the highest rents on the continent.
- Currency
- Pound sterling (£ GBP)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC+0
- Internet
- 90 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 5°C · ☀ 19°C · 106 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- G · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Shoreditch · Camden · Clapham
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 London
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 London to Manchester: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from London to Manchester, your cost of living will be roughly 20% cheaper. Manchester’s cost-of-living index is 109 versus 138 for London (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is London cheaper than Manchester?
Manchester is about 20% cheaper than London overall — its cost-of-living index is 109 versus 138 for London.
How much do you need to earn in Manchester to live like in London?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in London is worth about $59,700 in Manchester. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, London or Manchester?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (45%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from London
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.