Comparison

Manchester vs Liverpool

Renting in Manchester costs £454/month more than Liverpool.

North West, England  vs  North West, England

Average rent
Manchester
£1,347/mo
Liverpool
£893/mo
Lower
£454 difference
Average earnings
Manchester
£30,067/yr
Liverpool
£30,947/yr
Higher
£880 difference
Average house price
Manchester
£247,500
Liverpool
£180,000
£67,500 (38%)

Rent comparison

Bedrooms
Manchester
Overall
£1,347/mo
£893/mo
1 Bed
£986/mo
£672/mo
2 Bed
£1,212/mo
£819/mo
3 Bed
£1,404/mo
£941/mo
4+ Bed
£1,987/mo
£1,270/mo

Overall, renting in Liverpool is £454/month cheaper than Manchester - that's £5,448/year.

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)

Earnings comparison

Manchester - average
£30,067/yr
Liverpool - average
£30,947/yr

Residents of Liverpool earn £880/year more than those in Manchester.

Affordability insight
Manchester
54%
of gross earnings on rent
Liverpool
35%
of gross earnings on rent

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

House prices comparison

Property type
Manchester
Average
£247,500
£180,000
Detached
£425,000
£339,998
Semi-detached
£295,000
£235,000
Terraced
£242,000
£155,500
Flat
£210,000
£145,000

House prices in Manchester are £67,500 (38%) higher than in Liverpool.

Over the last 10 years, house prices in Manchester have risen by 76.8%, compared to 50.0% in Liverpool.

Source: ONS / HM Land Registry

Council tax comparison

Manchester - Band D
£2,312/yr
Liverpool - Band D
£2,674/yr

You would pay £362/year more in council tax (Band D) living in Liverpool than in Manchester.

Band
Manchester
Band A
£1,541
£1,782
Band B
£1,798
£2,079
Band C
£2,055
£2,377
Band D
Benchmark
£2,312
£2,674
Band E
£2,826
£3,268
Band F
£3,340
£3,862
Band G
£3,853
£4,456
Band H
£4,624
£5,347

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

Manchester
Annual
£1,641
£1,641
Monthly
£137
£137
Energy region
North West
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

Manchester
Annual
£627
£627
Monthly
£52
£52
Water company
United Utilities
United Utilities

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
1,432/10k
#297 of 303
Liverpool
1,235/10k
#293 of 303
Crime type
Manchester
Overall crime rate
1,432 /10k
1,235 /10k
Violence & sexual
575 /10k
494 /10k
Burglary
50 /10k
38 /10k
Theft
377 /10k
267 /10k
Criminal damage
99 /10k
104 /10k
Drug offences
112 /10k
153 /10k
Public order
159 /10k
136 /10k

Manchester has a higher crime rate than Liverpool, with 1,432 vs 1,235 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.