The Ultimate Guide to Moving to Manchester

Manchester has it all. Culture, history, stunning countryside on your doorstep, a huge variety of nightlife, and some great value housing.

In recent years Manchester has grown into one of the most desirable locations for people looking for new opportunities, a new life, and a new location to move home to.

Many accolades reinforce the belief that Manchester can rival any city in the UK for a great place to live.

So in this ultimate guide to moving to Manchester, we will give you all the essential information you need to make a truly informed decision on where to move to within Manchester.

You may also like to read: The Pros and Cons of Moving to the Northwest. Not only is Manchester a fantastic place to live but there are some equally wonderful places around Manchester. In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of moving to the Northwest of England.

Should I Move to Manchester?

There are plenty of good reasons to move to Manchester but we have chosen just 6 of our top reasons why you should move to Manchester.

#1 Manchester is the UK’s most liveable City

The ‘Global Livability Index’ in 2022 rated Manchester as the best city in the UK to live in and ranked it 28th in the world. The rankings are based on education, healthcare, crime rates, and social stability.

#2 A city with something for everyone

As we already mentioned, Manchester has everything you could possibly need whether it be culture, history, more home for your money, great nightlife, or easy access to some stunning countryside.

No matter what you seek from a home move, Manchester will tick many of those boxes and more.

#3 A world-ranked university

Manchester University was ranked 28^th in the world by QS World University Rankings 2023. And with a student population of about 80,000 Manchester is a lively and vibrant place to live.

#4 Small enough but big enough too

Manchester is small enough that you can walk to most places in the city but big enough to have excellent infrastructure with an international airport on your doorstep.

Small enough to have loads of independent and startup businesses, but big enough to attract the top employers.

Small enough that most people are still really friendly and welcoming, but big enough that people from all over the world are drawn to Manchester as their home.

#5 Great infrastructure

Manchester has an excellent public transport system.

There is even a free hop-on-hop-off shuttle bus that services the shopping center and main rail stations, as well as a super-efficient and regular tram service.

There is easy access to the M60, M62, and then M6 motorways.

Manchester has 4 main train stations linking you with every major city in the UK, and Manchester International Airport is only about 10 miles outside the city.

#6 Value for Money

Moving to Manchester will certainly give you more home for your money than many places in the south of England, and the work/life balance is certainly better than most cities in the UK.

The general cost of living is lower than in a lot of places in the south, so Manchester offers good value for money for the location of your new home.

You may also like to read: Deciding Where to Live Next. In this guide, we suggest 12 things to take into consideration when deciding where to move to.

Is Manchester a Safe Place to Live?

Manchester is a major UK city and therefore has the same problems that any other city does.

Exercise some common sense and you will be as safe as in any other city.

All the universities have safety officers and run active student safety campaigns.

You will soon be made aware of the areas to avoid and those that are perfectly safe.

None of the student forums in Manchester report any major issues and the majority of students feel safe when studying in Manchester.

The city centre will obviously have a fairly high crime rate as do most city centres or places where there is a concentration of bars and nightclubs.

Speak to as many local people as possible about the area to intend to move to, a simple drive-through of an area will tell you plenty about a neighbourhood: if it is well kept, has lots of CCTV, or gangs hanging around.

Speaking to the local Policing unit is always a good idea too and their contact details can be found on the website below.

To see what the latest crime figures are for the specific area you are moving to in Manchester visit www.police.uk

You may also like to read: Choosing Where to Live: Location, Location, Location. Some places are more prone to crime and anti-social behaviour than others so in this guide, we look at the pros and cons of living on a main road, a cul-de-sac, near shops, parks, schools, open fields, or a river.

What is the Average Property Rental Cost in Manchester?

Many people choose to rent a property in the area they would like to buy a property in before making their final decision.

This can be a good idea as the area may not be to your liking or meet your expectations.

For many, renting in certain areas allows them to live in a very desirable area that they may not otherwise be able to live in.

And many people are realizing that renting a home can make sound economic sense rather than buying a property.

• The average rental cost of a 1-bedroom home in Manchester is £1,191 pcm
• The average rental cost of a 2-bedroom home in Manchester is £1,476 pcm
• The average rental cost of a 3-bedroom home in Manchester is £1,870 pcm
• The average rental cost of a 4-bedroom home in Manchester is £2,417 pcm

The average rental cost data is taken from www.home.co.uk April 2024

What is the Average Property Price in Manchester?

• The average price of a detached home in Manchester is £583,154
• The average price of a semi-detached home in Manchester is £328,004
• The average price of a terraced home in Manchester is £244,622
• The average price of a flat in Manchester is £198,905

The latest average home costs were taken from www.rightmove.co.uk April 2024

You may also like to read: What Type of Property is Right For Me: House, Bungalow, or Flat? In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of different styles of property to help you choose which would best suit your lifestyle.

Is Manchester An Expensive City to Live In?

According to www.numbeo.com, the average monthly costs excluding rent or mortgage repayments are:

• A single person on average will need £857 pm to cover living costs
• A family of 4 on average needs an income of £2,912 pm to cover living costs

Cost of Living in Manchester vs Major UK Cities

According to data from www.expatisan.com here is a comparison of the cost of living in Manchester with other major UK cities

• The cost of living in Manchester is 32% cheaper than in London
• The cost of living in Manchester is about the same as in Birmingham
• The cost of living in Manchester is 32% cheaper than in Leeds
• The cost of living in Manchester is 29% cheaper than in Liverpool
• The cost of living in Manchester is 6% more expensive than in York
• The cost of living in Manchester is 24% more expensive than in Leicester
• The cost of living in Manchester is 11% more expensive than in Glasgow
• The cost of living in Manchester is about the same as in Edinburgh
• The cost of living in Manchester is 18% cheaper than in Bristol
• The cost of living in Manchester is 11% more expensive than in Plymouth

You may also like to read: Is Life Better in the Countryside, the City, or the Suburbs? Manchester is blessed with some great areas to move to and each can be very different. In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of living in the countryside, the suburbs, and the city to help you choose which would best suit you.

How Much Does it Cost to Move to Manchester?

How much does it cost to move a 1-2 Bedroom home to Manchester?

Obviously, each home move is different, but excluding packing costs, you can expect to pay on average the following home moving costs when hiring a professional removal firm to move you to Manchester.

Must do: Get a home removal cost estimate for free.

• Moving a 1-2 bedroom home from London to Manchester costs on average £1,670
• Moving a 1-2 bedroom home from Birmingham to Manchester costs on average £1,470
• Moving a 1-2 bedroom home from Leeds to Manchester on average costs £1,400
• Moving a 1-2 bedroom home from Liverpool to Manchester costs about £1,385
• Moving a 1-2 bedroom home from York to Manchester costs about £1,445
• Moving a 1-2 bedroom home from Leicester to Manchester costs about £1,500
• Moving a 1-2 bedroom home from Glasgow to Manchester costs about £1,680
• Moving a 1-2 bedroom home from Edinburgh to Manchester costs about £1,685
• Moving a 1-2 bedroom home from Bristol to Manchester costs about £1,605
• Moving a 1-2 bedroom home from Plymouth to Manchester on average costs £1,790

On average expect to pay about £275-£475 for a professional packing service for a 1-2 bedroom home.

You may also like to read: How much is the average cost to move a 1-2 bedroom home? In this guide, we compare the cost of moving a 1 or 2-bedroom home yourself with the cost of hiring a full-service removal company to do it all for you.

How much does it cost to move a 3-bedroom home to Manchester?

• Moving a 3 bedroom home from London to Manchester on average costs £1,805
• Moving a 3 bedroom home from Birmingham to Manchester on average costs £1,605
• Moving a 3 bedroom home from Leeds to Manchester on average costs £1,535
• Moving a 3 bedroom home from Liverpool to Manchester on average costs £1,520
• Moving a 3 bedroom home from York to Manchester on average costs £1,580
• Moving a 3 bedroom home from Leicester to Manchester on average costs £1,635
• Moving a 3 bedroom home from Glasgow to Manchester on average costs £1,815
• Moving a 3 bedroom home from Edinburgh to Manchester on average costs £1,820
• Moving a 3 bedroom home from Bristol to Manchester on average costs £1,740
• Moving a 3 bedroom home from Plymouth to Manchester on average costs £1,925

On average expect to pay about £450-£950 for a professional packing service for a 3 bedroom home.

You may also like to read: How much is the average cost to move a 3-bedroom home? In this guide, we compare the costs of moving a 3-bedroom home when hiring a removal company and when moving some by yourself.

Where are the Best Areas to Live in Manchester?

Thinking of moving to the Manchester area?

Here is a Manchester neighbourhood guide with the best places to rent or buy a home in the Manchester area.

#1 Castlefield

Commuters love Castlefield because of its easy access to the motorway network and Deansgate Station, whilst those who work in the city have only a short stroll to get to work.

Castlefield is a quiet area, but many new developments are springing up as housing is in high demand from young professionals, families, and first-time buyers.

Castlefield is one of the oldest parts of Manchester, with cobbled streets, converted mills, a canal, and plenty of amenities with easy access to the city centre, this is a very sought-after area of Manchester.

#2 Didsbury

If your budget stretches to it, Didsbury is probably the most sought-after area of Manchester.

Wide tree-lined roads, large Victorian houses, excellent schools, trendy bars and restaurants, and plenty of open green spaces draw people to this very affluent area of Manchester.

#3 The Northern Quarter

A super trendy part of the city to live in, and is especially appealing to those looking for an area with plenty of independent shops and restaurants, art galleries, and craft markets.

Housing is mainly newly built apartment blocks or apartments above shops.

#4 Ancoats

Another super trendy part of town to live in with plenty of modern apartments and converted mills supplying the majority of living space here.

Commuters choose Ancoats as their home as Piccadilly Station is just a 10-minute walk away.

#5 Altrincham

Some great schools, lots of green open space, three stately homes, a famous food market, and a great local community make Altrincham a very attractive place for people to want to live.

Altrincham is regarded as a very affluent area of Manchester but there is a good mix of young professionals and families that live here.

There is the Metro Tram that runs to the city centre, excellent links to the motorway, and the Lake District and Peak District are on your doorstep.

You may also like to read: Which is More Important House or Location? In this guide, we suggest 31 things to consider when choosing between a home and a location.

Moving to Manchester Alone

Are you thinking of moving to Manchester alone, perhaps as a student or for work? Is Manchester a good place to live for single people?

Here are some essential things to know when moving to Manchester as a single person.

• Rent a room in a shared house, or flat share, if you want to save some money, get to know the area, and make instant friends in Manchester. Useful websites for finding rooms to rent in Manchester include: gumtree.co.uk, www.spareroom.co.uk, or www.nestpick.com
• Join local social media groups to find out all the best places to go and get to know about Manchester city life.
• meetup.com has local groups to join so that you quickly find new friends and get to learn all about living in Manchester.
• Consider volunteering in your spare time, it is a great way to meet new people and help the local community at the same time.

You may also like to read: Is Retiring to the City a Good Idea? Retiring to the city can make a lot of sense and Manchester would be a great city to retire to. In this guide, we list 16 reasons why moving to the city in retirement makes great sense.

Living in Manchester as a Student

If you have been accepted as a student at Manchester or are considering becoming one, then this section is for you.

There are over 100,00 students in Manchester, over 40,000 of which are international students. So you can be assured that Manchester has every support network and amenity that a student could possibly need.

Here are the links to the university websites in Manchester where you will find plenty of useful information.

• University of Manchester
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• University of Bolton 
• University of Salford
• University Academy 92 

Students who are not living on campus and are looking for somewhere to live whilst at Uni in Manchester usually head for Fallowfield as it ticks all the boxes and is where the majority of students choose to live.

Fallowfield is right on the doorstep of the University of Manchester and is less than a half hour’s walk from the city centre.

Fallowfield offers plenty of nightlife with some great bars, and the area is well set up to cater to students.

You can search websites such as these to find student accommodation in Manchester

• nestpick.com
• manchesterstudenthomes.com
• unitestudents.com

Manchester is a vibrant place to spend your years studying and has a huge variety of culture, art, nightlife, history, festivals, and shopping.

You can find out more about the cost of living for students in Manchester at www.manchester.ac.uk

There is lots of useful information for students in Manchester at www.manchesterstudentsunion.com

You may also like to read: Everything you need to know about moving to college. In this guide, we offer some tips to make moving to college or university easier and cheaper.

Moving to Manchester with Family

In 2023 www.onefamily.com placed Manchester at number 6 in the top places in the UK to raise a family.

There are many reasons for moving to Manchester with family, and many people consider Manchester as an ideal city to raise a family.

Here are a selection of great reasons to move here:

• A good selection of top-rated schools
• Many family-friendly places to visit
• A number of parks for families to visit
• Some stunning countryside is right on your doorstep
• There is a regular and reliable public transport service
• Easy access to the motorway network
• Some exciting career options
• A good life/work balance

According to a survey by www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk, the top five best places for families to live in Manchester are:

• Worsley: Expect to pay about £280,393 for the average 3-bedroom home in Worsley.
• Heaton: Expect to pay about £223,376 for the average 3-bedroom home in Heaton.
• Didsbury: Expect to pay about £372,376 for the average 3-bedroom home in Didsbury.
• Chorlton: Expect to pay about £382,962 for the average 3-bedroom home in Chorlton.
• Sale: Expect to pay about £389,127 for the average 3-bedroom home in Sale.

Families moving to Manchester will also want to know about healthcare in Manchester so visit www.nhs.uk to find local doctors, dentists, healthcare specialists, and hospitals.

You may also like to read: How to Find New Housing Developments. Many families moving to Manchester choose to live in one of the many new housing developments there. In this guide, we show you how to be the first to know where new developments are being built, and when new phases are being released, we also include a useful link to a website where you can search by specific developer or by criteria that are important to you, such as sustainability.

Which are the Best Schools in Manchester?

The top 5 performing Primary Schools in Manchester are:

• St James’ CofE Primary School, Birch-In-Rusholme M14 6HW
• Holy Name RC Primary School M15 6JS
• St James’ CofE Primary School, Gorton M18 8LW
• St Kentigern’s RC Primary M14 7ED
• Wilbraham Primary School M14 7FB

The top 5 performing Secondary Schools in Manchester are:

• Levenshulme High School M19 1FS
• Whalley Range 11-18 High School M16 8GW
• St Peter’s RC High School M12 4WB
• Burnage Academy for Boys M19 1ER
• William Hulme’s Grammar School M16 8PR

The top 5 Ofsted Rated Schools in Manchester

• Abbot Community Primary School M40 7PR
• Armitage CofE Primary School M12 5NP
• Ashbury Meadows Primary School M11 3NA
• Ashgate Specialist Support Primary School M22 5DR
• Beaver Road Primary School M20 6SX

You may also be interested in visiting www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk which allows you to compare local schools in Manchester.

Is There Much Employment in Manchester?

Manchester offers some great employment opportunities and is the second-largest economy in the UK. Manchester attracts many of the big employers such as Kellogg’s, Siemens, and Google.

So what are the biggest employment sectors in Manchester?

• Sales
• Finance
• Service
• Manufacturing
• Life Sciences
• Creative and Digital Technology
• Retail and Wholesale Distribution
• Hospitality
• Tourism
• Construction

Manchester has a dedicated service to help people looking for work in Manchester whether it be job searching, becoming self-employed, or writing a CV, www.onemanchester.co.uk 

Try these websites below if you are looking for work in Manchester.

• totaljobs.com
• jobsite.co.uk
• reed.co.uk

You may also like to read: How to Find Your Forever Home. In this guide, we share things to look for when choosing your dream home and the pros and cons of considering your next home as your forever home.

What are the Best Ways of Getting Around Manchester?

• Tram: There is a fast and frequent tram service that operates in Manchester.
• Bus: Manchester has a free hop-on, hop-off bus service that links all the train stations and main shopping and business areas. You can find out the routes for the free service and more information here.
• Bike: There are many dedicated cycle paths and routes in Manchester. You can view cycling maps and route plans at the Travel for Greater Manchester website, here you can also find information about good places to park your bike and even where to hire a bike in Manchester.
• Rail: Manchester is well served by the rail network locally and nationally. You can find timetables, plan your journey, and get ticket information here.
• Car: To find the location of NCP car parks in Manchester visit www.ncp.co.uk or www.manchester.gov.uk

For those who don’t own a car but want to explore the beauty of Manchester or further afield, there is the City Car Club which is a car rental scheme. Find out more at www.citycarclub.co.uk

What is There To Do in Manchester for Free?

There is plenty to see and do in Manchester, and there are a surprising number of free things to do here.

What can you do for free in Manchester? Here are 5 things to do in Manchester for free, you can find many more suggestions for a great free day out at www.visitmanchester.com

• Science and Industry Museum 
• The John Rylands Library 
• Manchester Museum 
• Manchester Art Gallery 
• Peoples History Museum 

You may also like to read: The Pros and Cons of Moving to a Bigger Home. Many people move home when they have run out of space in their existing home, and more space can make life easier. But as with most things, there is usually a downside. In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of moving to a bigger home.

The Best of Manchester

If you are moving to Manchester you will probably be overwhelmed with the number of things to do, the great restaurants, bars, and clubs.

So here is our top 5 of the best of Manchester.

Top 5 Restaurants in Manchester

These are the top 5 rated restaurants in Manchester as ranked by www.tripadvisor.com

• Zaytoon M21
• One Plus Restaurant M1
• Dakota Bar & Grill M1
• Campo Blanco M45
• Double Zero Pizza M21

Top 5 Pubs in Manchester

www.timeout.com lists these 5 as the top bars in Manchester

• Flok, Stevenson Square M1
• Henry C, Manchester Road M21
• The Refuge by Volta, Oxford St M60
• Hawksmoor, Deansgate M3
• Port Street Beer House, Port Street M1

Top 5 Clubs in Manchester

www.designmynight.com lists these as the top 5 nightclubs in Manchester

• Gorilla, Oxford Road
• Revolution, Deansgate Locks
• Dive NQ, Northern Quarter
• Lola Lo, Deansgate Locks
• South Manchester, Deansgate

Top 5 Unique Things to Do In Manchester

www.designmynight.com suggests these as the top 5 unusual things to do in Manchester

• The Wizard Brunch and Dinner 
• The Bottomless Singing Cinema
• Alberts Schloss
• Dog Bowl 
• Manchester Microbrewery Experience 

How to Pick a Good Manchester Removal Firm

There are some great removal companies that can help you with your home move to Manchester which will make the whole process so much easier.

Finding top-rated local removal companies to move you to Manchester is important for a stress-free home move. But choose your removal company carefully as all removal firms are not equal, unfortunately.

You may like to read: How to Pick a Good Removal Company. The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide. Choosing the right removal company to move you to Manchester is so important that we have produced a step-by-step guide to choosing the best removal firm for your particular needs.

• Find great local Manchester removal firms.
• Find a local removal company to move you to Manchester.

You will probably have many more questions regarding your home move, so be sure to visit our resources section where you will find a wealth of useful information to make your home move to Manchester easier, cheaper, and safer.

Good luck with your move to Manchester.