✦ Compare
Manchester vs
Zurich
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 Zurich, CH, you'd need
$115,943 / year
Zurich, CH is 55% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Zurich, CH vs Manchester, UK)
- Housing+74%
- Food & groceries+45%
- Transport+41%
- Utilities+7%
- Healthcare+76%
- Goods & services+53%
Median 1-bed rent
$1,100 /mo
Manchester, UK overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$2,500 /mo
Zurich, CH overview →
◎ How Manchester, UK and Zurich, CH compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Manchester, UK | Zurich, CH | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 109 | 169 |
| Housing | 118 | 205 |
| Food | 110 | 160 |
| Transport | 92 | 130 |
| Utilities | 122 | 130 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 150 |
| Goods & services | 110 | 168 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,100/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $820/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,100/mo | $5,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $4,500 | $18,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $914 | $591 |
| Inexpensive meal | $18 | $30 |
| Monthly transit pass | $85 | $90 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 40% |
| VAT / sales tax | 20% | 8.1% |
| Social security (employee) | 8% | — |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 15% |
| Capital gains | 24% | 0% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $6,000/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,050/mo | — |
| GDP per capita | $57,602 | $114,769 |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.9% | 0.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | High |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 55 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 90 |
| Pollution index | 42 | 25 |
| Internet speed | 140 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 80 | 85 |
| Public transport | 72 | 95 |
| Family-friendly | 68 | 75 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $350/mo |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +4 °C | 0 °C |
| July avg | +16 °C | +18 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 100 | 65 |
| Rainfall / year | 870 mm | 1,080 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United Kingdom vs Switzerland. 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 Zurich
The world's benchmark for expensive — but salaries are sky-high, mandatory health insurance aside, and quality of life is unmatched.
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 0°C · ☀ 18°C · 65 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kreis 4 · Kreis 5 · Seefeld
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 Zurich
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 Zurich: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Manchester to Zurich, your cost of living will be roughly 55% more expensive. Zurich’s cost-of-living index is 169 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 Zurich?
Zurich is about 55% more expensive than Manchester overall — its cost-of-living index is 169 versus 109 for Manchester.
How much do you need to earn in Zurich to live like in Manchester?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Manchester is worth about $115,943 in Zurich. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Manchester or Zurich?
Switzerland has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% 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.