Comparison

Glasgow vs Manchester

Renting in Manchester costs £71/month more than Glasgow.

Scotland  vs  North West, England

Average rent
Glasgow
£1,276/mo
Lower
Manchester
£1,347/mo
£71 difference
Average earnings
Glasgow
£32,121/yr
Higher
Manchester
£30,067/yr
£2,054 difference

Rent comparison

Bedrooms
Glasgow
Overall
£1,276/mo
£1,347/mo
1 Bed
£841/mo
£986/mo
2 Bed
£1,090/mo
£1,212/mo
3 Bed
£1,340/mo
£1,404/mo
4+ Bed
£2,256/mo
£1,987/mo

Overall, renting in Glasgow is £71/month cheaper than Manchester - that's £852/year.

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)

Earnings comparison

Glasgow - average
£32,121/yr
Manchester - average
£30,067/yr

Residents of Glasgow earn £2,054/year more than those in Manchester.

Affordability insight
Glasgow
48%
of gross earnings on rent
Manchester
54%
of gross earnings on rent

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

House prices comparison

House price data is not currently available for Glasgow.

Source: ONS / HM Land Registry

Council tax comparison

Glasgow - Band D
£1,706/yr
Manchester - Band D
£2,312/yr

You would pay £606/year more in council tax (Band D) living in Manchester than in Glasgow.

Band
Glasgow
Band A
£1,137
£1,541
Band B
£1,327
£1,798
Band C
£1,516
£2,055
Band D
Benchmark
£1,706
£2,312
Band E
£2,241
£2,826
Band F
£2,772
£3,340
Band G
£3,341
£3,853
Band H
£4,180
£4,624

Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government

Band D is used as the standard benchmark for comparing council tax across areas. Other bands are set as fixed proportions of the Band D amount.

Energy comparison

Glasgow
Annual
£1,641
£1,641
Monthly
£137
£137
Energy region
South Scotland
North West

Energy estimates are based on the Ofgem price cap, which is set nationally. Regional variation is small; we show the same headline figure across regions for transparency.

Source: Ofgem Energy Price Cap, Q2 2026

Water comparison

Glasgow
Annual
£480
£627
Monthly
£40
£52
Water company
Scottish Water
United Utilities

Water in Manchester costs about £147/year more than in Glasgow.

Source: Water UK / Discover Water, 2026-27

Water company boundaries don't always align cleanly with local authority boundaries; the company shown here is the most common provider in each area.

Crime comparison

Glasgow
829/10k
#199 of 303
Manchester
1,432/10k
#297 of 303
Crime type
Glasgow
Overall crime rate
829 /10k
1,432 /10k
Violence & sexual
227 /10k
575 /10k
Burglary
16 /10k
50 /10k
Theft
285 /10k
377 /10k
Criminal damage
88 /10k
99 /10k
Drug offences
89 /10k
112 /10k
Public order
0 /10k
159 /10k

Glasgow has a lower crime rate than Manchester, with 829 vs 1,432 recorded crimes per 10,000 people.

Source: Home Office / Scottish Government recorded crime

Recording practices vary between police forces. Crime rates reflect reported and recorded crime only.

Compare different areas

Learn more about each area

Data on this page is sourced from: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS / HM Land Registry House Price Statistics, MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government council tax data, Ofgem Energy Price Cap, and Water UK / Discover Water. All official data is published under the Open Government Licence.