Cost of living in Manchester

Recently few people contacted me regarding costs of life in Manchester, so I decided to put it out here. Plus, I haven’t written anything in two weeks so I need to compensate with something :) .

I personally rent a one bedroom flat very close to University so it as a bit pricy. I pay 785 £ per month plus bills, council tax, internet etc. However, I live together with my partner so it ends up not being so expensive. Furthermore, as we live in town centre we don’t spend anything on travel.

Rent. I spoke to my colleague who rents a room and travels to Uni to find out more details regarding costs of living. So, when my friend was searching for a room the prices on average were 350 to 550 £ per month including bills. At the moment, she decided to move in with her friend so they are looking at 2 bedroom flats for roughly 750 £.

Council tax. As a student, you don’t have to pay for council tax, however if you live with non-student you will have to pay but you are eligible for a 25% discount.

Bills. Obviously, they will differ significantly depending on how much you spend. I can give you my estimate. As far as I know all flats in Manchester don’t use gas so your bills would be only electricity and water. Me and my partner usually spend around 100£ for electricity and water but in winter its more due to the heating. Also, when choosing a property keep an eye on its EPC rating (energy efficiency), the higher the rating the less money you will spend on bills. Lastly you can also check different electricity and water providers and they will have different charges.

Transport. In Manchester, we have a free city centre bus. If you need to travel from elsewhere, you can get a student bus pass which I believe is 360£ per year. I think it is called system 1, but double check :) .

On top of that you will need to pay for internet, roughly 30 £ a month and TV plus TV licence.

If you are planning to search for a room, I would highly advice to get one with bills included. This means you can spend as much water as you want and stay worm in winter. In addition, it will prevent you from having possible arguments with neighbours.