✦ Compare
Manchester vs
San Francisco
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 San Francisco, CA, you'd need
$81,037 / year
San Francisco, CA is 8% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (San Francisco, CA vs Manchester, UK)
- Housing+47%
- Food & groceries-15%
- Transport0%
- Utilities-29%
- Healthcare+8%
- Goods & services-11%
Median 1-bed rent
$1,100 /mo
Manchester, UK overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$3,300 /mo
San Francisco, CA overview →
◎ How Manchester, UK and San Francisco, CA compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Manchester, UK | San Francisco, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 109 | 118 |
| Housing | 118 | 174 |
| Food | 110 | 94 |
| Transport | 92 | 92 |
| Utilities | 122 | 87 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 92 |
| Goods & services | 110 | 98 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,100/mo | $3,300/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $820/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,100/mo | $6,500/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $4,500 | $14,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $914 | $846 |
| Inexpensive meal | $18 | $22 |
| Monthly transit pass | $85 | $98 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 37% |
| VAT / sales tax | 20% | 0% |
| Social security (employee) | 8% | 7.7% |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 21% |
| Capital gains | 24% | 20% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $4,300/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,050/mo | $1,257/mo |
| GDP per capita | $57,602 | $90,027 |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.9% | — |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 150 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 | UTC-8 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 55 | 45 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 80 |
| Pollution index | 42 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 140 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 80 | 88 |
| Public transport | 72 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 68 | 55 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $500/mo |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr | 79 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +4 °C | +11 °C |
| July avg | +16 °C | +17 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 100 | 256 |
| Rainfall / year | 870 mm | 600 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United Kingdom vs United States. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Manchester
The capital of the UK's north — a music-and-football city reinventing itself as a fast-growing media and tech hub. Rents run roughly half of London's, the crowd is young and the nightlife serious; the trade-off is the famously grey, wet weather.
- Currency
- Pound sterling (£ GBP)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC+0
- Internet
- 140 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 4°C · ☀ 16°C · 100 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- G · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Northern Quarter · Ancoats · Didsbury · Chorlton
Good to know before you move to San Francisco
Tech's global capital — the highest salaries in the US, and rents to match, wrapped in fog and hills.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-8
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 45/100
- Climate
- ❄ 11°C · ☀ 17°C · 256 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Mission · SoMa · Hayes Valley
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
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Plan your move to San Francisco
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Manchester to San Francisco: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Manchester to San Francisco, your cost of living will be roughly 8% more expensive. San Francisco’s cost-of-living index is 118 versus 109 for Manchester (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Manchester cheaper than San Francisco?
San Francisco is about 8% more expensive than Manchester overall — its cost-of-living index is 118 versus 109 for Manchester.
How much do you need to earn in San Francisco to live like in Manchester?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Manchester is worth about $81,037 in San Francisco. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Manchester or San Francisco?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in United Kingdom.
◷ More comparisons from Manchester
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.