Scotland North West, England

Glasgow vs Manchester

Renting in Manchester costs £107/month more than Glasgow.

Average rent
Glasgow Lower
£1,266/mo
Manchester
£1,373/mo
£107 difference
Average earnings
Glasgow Higher
£32,121/yr
Manchester
£30,067/yr
£2,054 difference

Rent comparison

Overall
Glasgow £1,266/mo
Manchester £1,373/mo
Manchester +£107/mo
1 Bed
Glasgow £843/mo
Manchester £1,003/mo
Manchester +£160/mo
2 Bed
Glasgow £1,089/mo
Manchester £1,233/mo
Manchester +£144/mo
3 Bed
Glasgow £1,340/mo
Manchester £1,433/mo
Manchester +£93/mo
4+ Bed
Glasgow £2,280/mo
Manchester £2,014/mo
Glasgow +£266/mo

Overall, renting in Glasgow is £107/month cheaper than Manchester - that's £1,284/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 47%of gross earnings on rent
Manchester 55%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 Manchester Difference
Band A £1,137 £1,541 Manchester +£404/yr
Band B £1,327 £1,798 Manchester +£471/yr
Band C £1,516 £2,055 Manchester +£539/yr
Band D Benchmark £1,706 £2,312 Manchester +£606/yr
Band E £2,241 £2,826 Manchester +£585/yr
Band F £2,772 £3,340 Manchester +£568/yr
Band G £3,341 £3,853 Manchester +£512/yr
Band H £4,180 £4,624 Manchester +£444/yr

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

Measure Glasgow Manchester
Annual £1,723 £1,723
Monthly £144 £144
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, Q4 2026

Water comparison

Measure Glasgow Manchester
Annual £652 £627
Monthly £54 £52
Water company Scottish Water United Utilities

Water in Glasgow costs about £25/year more than in Manchester.

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.

Climate comparison

Average temperature
Glasgow 9.5°C
Manchester 10.7°C
Manchester +1.2°C
Annual rainfall
Glasgow 1,126mm
Manchester 917mm
Glasgow +209mm
Rain days per year
Glasgow 173 days
Manchester 159 days
Glasgow +14 days
Annual sunshine
Glasgow 1,322h
Manchester 1,380h
Manchester +58h

Glasgow gets around 209mm more rainfall per year and 58 fewer hours of sunshine than Manchester.

Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid, 1991-2020 averages. Crown copyright. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Crime comparison

Glasgow
849 /10k
#206 of 303
Manchester
1,430 /10k
#297 of 303
Overall crime rate
Glasgow 849 /10k
Manchester 1,430 /10k
Manchester +581 /10k
Violence & sexual
Glasgow 231 /10k
Manchester 577 /10k
Manchester +346 /10k
Burglary
Glasgow 13 /10k
Manchester 50 /10k
Manchester +37 /10k
Theft
Glasgow 297 /10k
Manchester 370 /10k
Manchester +73 /10k
Criminal damage
Glasgow 81 /10k
Manchester 101 /10k
Manchester +20 /10k
Drug offences
Glasgow 94 /10k
Manchester 115 /10k
Manchester +21 /10k
Public order
Glasgow 0 /10k
Manchester 159 /10k
Manchester +159 /10k

Glasgow has a lower crime rate than Manchester, with 849 vs 1,430 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.

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