Comparison
Manchester vs Birmingham
Renting in Manchester costs £261/month more than Birmingham.
North West, England vs West Midlands, England
Rent comparison
Overall, renting in Birmingham is £261/month cheaper than Manchester - that's £3,132/year.
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)
Earnings comparison
Residents of Birmingham earn £113/year more than those in Manchester.
Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
House prices comparison
House prices in Manchester are £12,500 (5%) higher than in Birmingham.
Over the last 10 years, house prices in Manchester have risen by 76.8%, compared to 65.5% in Birmingham.
Source: ONS / HM Land Registry
Council tax comparison
You would pay £51/year more in council tax (Band D) living in Birmingham than in Manchester.
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
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
Water in Manchester costs about £33/year more than in Birmingham.
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
Manchester has a higher crime rate than Birmingham, with 1,432 vs 1,141 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.