Comparison

Manchester vs Leeds

Renting in Manchester costs £125/month more than Leeds.

North West, England  vs  Yorkshire And The Humber, England

Average rent
Manchester
£975/mo
Leeds
£850/mo
Lower
£125 difference
Average earnings
Manchester
£30,067/yr
Leeds
£31,679/yr
Lower
£1,612 difference
Average house price
Manchester
£231,000
Leeds
£230,000
Lower
£1,000 (0%)

Rent comparison

Bedrooms
Manchester
Overall
£975/mo
£850/mo
1 Bed
£850/mo
£765/mo
2 Bed
£1,000/mo
£895/mo
3 Bed
£1,200/mo
£950/mo
4+ Bed
£1,800/mo
£2,058/mo

Overall, renting in Leeds is £125/month cheaper than Manchester - that's £1,500/year.

Source: ONS Private Rental Market Statistics

Earnings comparison

Manchester - average
£30,067/yr
Leeds - average
£31,679/yr

Residents of Leeds earn £1,612/year more than those in Manchester.

Affordability insight
Manchester
39%
of gross earnings on rent
Leeds
32%
of gross earnings on rent

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

House prices comparison

Property type
Manchester
Average
£231,000
£230,000
Detached
£360,000
£420,000
Semi-detached
£275,000
£245,000
Terraced
£217,750
£183,000
Flat
£203,000
£150,000

House prices in Manchester are £1,000 (0%) higher than in Leeds.

Source: ONS / HM Land Registry

Council tax comparison

Manchester - Band D
£2,312/yr
Leeds - Band D
£2,284/yr

You would pay £28/year more in council tax (Band D) living in Manchester than in Leeds.

Band
Manchester
Band A
£1,541
£1,522
Band B
£1,798
£1,776
Band C
£2,055
£2,030
Band D
Benchmark
£2,312
£2,284
Band E
£2,826
£2,791
Band F
£3,340
£3,299
Band G
£3,853
£3,806
Band H
£4,624
£4,567

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
Yorkshire

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
£636
Monthly
£52
£53
Water company
United Utilities
Yorkshire Water

Water in Leeds costs about £9/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.

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.