North West · England
Living in Manchester
A confident northern powerhouse of music, sport and industry reborn as one of the UK’s most exciting places to live and work.
Population around 550,000 (2.8m Greater Manchester)
What Manchester is like
Manchester pairs a fast-growing, apartment-heavy centre with characterful suburbs like Chorlton and Didsbury. It draws a young, creative crowd, and the value compared with London keeps them here.
Education
A huge student city: the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the nearby University of Salford.
Getting around
The Metrolink tram network is the UK’s largest, and Manchester Airport is the biggest outside London.
Jobs & economy
Media (MediaCityUK), finance, law, a booming tech scene and life sciences make it the economic capital of the North.
The property market
The average home in Manchester sold for £247,344 (April 2026, UK House Price Index). That is an area average across all property types, a useful benchmark rather than a valuation of any single home.
In a nutshell
- Legendary music and nightlife
- Two of world football’s biggest clubs
- Fast-growing tech and media jobs
- Gateway to the Peak District