✦ Compare
Manchester vs
Sydney
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 Sydney, AU, you'd need
$87,437 / year
Sydney, AU is 17% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Sydney, AU vs Manchester, UK)
- Housing+37%
- Food & groceries+5%
- Transport+14%
- Utilities-10%
- Healthcare+12%
- Goods & services+9%
Median 1-bed rent
$1,100 /mo
Manchester, UK overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$2,200 /mo
Sydney, AU overview →
◎ How Manchester, UK and Sydney, AU compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Manchester, UK | Sydney, AU | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 109 | 128 |
| Housing | 118 | 162 |
| Food | 110 | 115 |
| Transport | 92 | 105 |
| Utilities | 122 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 95 |
| Goods & services | 110 | 120 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,100/mo | $2,200/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $820/mo | $1,650/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,100/mo | $4,200/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $4,500 | $12,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $914 | $784 |
| Inexpensive meal | $18 | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | $85 | $130 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 20% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 8% | — |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 24% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $3,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,050/mo | $2,600/mo |
| GDP per capita | $57,602 | $65,130 |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.9% | 2.9% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 90 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 | UTC+10 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 55 | 74 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 85 |
| Pollution index | 42 | 30 |
| Internet speed | 140 Mbps | 90 Mbps |
| Walkability | 80 | 78 |
| Public transport | 72 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 68 | 76 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr | 83 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +4 °C | +23 °C |
| July avg | +16 °C | +13 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 100 | 236 |
| Rainfall / year | 870 mm | 1,210 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 3 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United Kingdom vs Australia. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Manchester
The capital of the UK's north — a music-and-football city reinventing itself as a fast-growing media and tech hub. Rents run roughly half of London's, the crowd is young and the nightlife serious; the trade-off is the famously grey, wet weather.
- Currency
- Pound sterling (£ GBP)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC+0
- Internet
- 140 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 4°C · ☀ 16°C · 100 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- G · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Northern Quarter · Ancoats · Didsbury · Chorlton
Good to know before you move to Sydney
Beaches, sunshine and a high quality of life — for a price, with housing among the least affordable in the developed world.
- Currency
- Australian dollar ($ AUD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC+10
- Internet
- 90 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 74/100
- Climate
- ❄ 23°C · ☀ 13°C · 236 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- I · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Surry Hills · Bondi · Newtown
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
Plan your move to Sydney
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Manchester to Sydney: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Manchester to Sydney, your cost of living will be roughly 17% more expensive. Sydney’s cost-of-living index is 128 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 Sydney?
Sydney is about 17% more expensive than Manchester overall — its cost-of-living index is 128 versus 109 for Manchester.
How much do you need to earn in Sydney to live like in Manchester?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Manchester is worth about $87,437 in Sydney. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Manchester or Sydney?
United Kingdom has the lower top income-tax rate — 45% versus 45% in Australia.
◷ More comparisons from Manchester
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.