Comparison
Manchester vs Birmingham
Renting in Manchester costs £125/month more than Birmingham.
North West, England vs West Midlands, England
Rent comparison
Overall, renting in Birmingham is £125/month cheaper than Manchester - that's £1,500/year.
Source: ONS Private Rental Market Statistics
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 £6,000 (3%) higher than 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.
Compare different areas
Learn more about each area
Data on this page is sourced from: ONS Private Rental Market 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.