# Cambridge vs Manchester

> On balanced weights, Cambridge comes out ahead: 55 against 51 out of 100, mostly on research output and dry days. Reference profile: one person, €60,000 gross a year, a one-bedroom home, everyday spending of €1,200 a month in Lisbon scaled by each country's price level, balanced weights. Figures as of 2026-11-05. Canonical page: https://borgo.abcastor.com/compare/cambridge-gb-vs-manchester-gb/

Scores out of 100: Cambridge 55, Manchester 51. Make it yours: https://borgo.abcastor.com/?cities=cambridge-gb,manchester-gb

## Line by line

| Line | Cambridge | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| Money left each month | €680 a month (Price Index of Private Rents; World Development Indicators) | €976 a month (Price Index of Private Rents; World Development Indicators) |
| Cost of living | €3,269 a month (Price Index of Private Rents; World Development Indicators) | €2,973 a month (Price Index of Private Rents; World Development Indicators) |
| Nice days | 21 nice days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) | 11 nice days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) |
| Winter daylight | 7 h 42 min | 7 h 28 min |
| Sunshine | no data | 1,412 h a year (Meteostat climate normals) |
| Dry days | 127 wet days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) | 188 wet days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) |
| Clean air | no data | 8.8 µg/m³ (WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026)) |
| Safety | 1.1 homicides per 100k (World Development Indicators) | 1.1 homicides per 100k (World Development Indicators) |
| Long, healthy lives | 81.4 years (World Development Indicators) | 81.4 years (World Development Indicators) |
| Health costs | €64 a month (World Development Indicators) | €64 a month (World Development Indicators) |
| Childcare costs | no child of childcare age | no child of childcare age |
| Paid leave for parents | 12 weeks (mother 12, father 0) (OECD Family Database: parental leave systems (PF2.1)) | 12 weeks (mother 12, father 0) (OECD Family Database: parental leave systems (PF2.1)) |
| Happiness | 7.45 of 10 (OECD Well-being Database (How's Life?)) | 7.45 of 10 (OECD Well-being Database (How's Life?)) |
| Research output | 95 of 100 (OpenAlex institutions) | 66 of 100 (OpenAlex institutions) |
| Time difference from home | set your home city | set your home city |
| Flight home | set your home city | set your home city |
| Airport nearby | 36 km (OurAirports airports) | 15 km (OurAirports airports) |
| Public transport | 12 % of commuters (Urban Audit: cities and greater cities) | 27 % of commuters (Urban Audit: cities and greater cities) |
| Rail and metro stations | 6 stations (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API) | 36 stations (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API) |
| Short commutes | no data | no data |
| Cycle network | 0.93 km per km² (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API: walking and cycling) | 1.38 km per km² (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API: walking and cycling) |
| Everyday needs on foot | 89 % of streets (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API: walking and cycling) | 94 % of streets (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API: walking and cycling) |
| Walking and cycling to work | 48.8 % of commuters (Urban Audit: cities and greater cities) | 19.1 % of commuters (Urban Audit: cities and greater cities) |
| Quick way out by bike | 0.9 km, about 4 min by bike (GHS Urban Centre Database 2025 (R2024A), general characteristics) | 8.7 km, about 35 min by bike (GHS Urban Centre Database 2025 (R2024A), general characteristics) |
| Near the sea | 65 km (Natural Earth (coastline, land, countries and populated places)) | 34 km (Natural Earth (coastline, land, countries and populated places)) |
| Near the mountains | 300 km (Terrain Tiles (Terrarium) on AWS Open Data) | 300 km (Terrain Tiles (Terrarium) on AWS Open Data) |
| Green space | 9.1 % of land (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API) | 17.9 % of land (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API) |
| Fast internet | 64 Mbit/s (M-Lab NDT statistics (daily city aggregates)) | 52 Mbit/s (M-Lab NDT statistics (daily city aggregates)) |
| English spoken | 98 % speak English (CLDR territory information) | 98 % speak English (CLDR territory information) |
| International crowd | 33.3 % born abroad (Urban Audit: cities and greater cities) | 28.6 % born abroad (Urban Audit: cities and greater cities) |
| Doctors | 3.3 per 1,000 (World Development Indicators) | 3.3 per 1,000 (World Development Indicators) |
| Jobs | 4.7 % unemployed (World Development Indicators) | 4.7 % unemployed (World Development Indicators) |
| Graduates around | 79.2 % of adults (Urban Audit: cities and greater cities) | 52.3 % of adults (Urban Audit: cities and greater cities) |
| Developers around | no data | 26.2 per 1,000 (GitHub user search) |
| Clean government | 1.53 of 2.5 (Worldwide Governance Indicators) | 1.53 of 2.5 (Worldwide Governance Indicators) |
| Politics, left to right | centre, 5.6 of 10; say where you stand (Political position from election results) | centre, 5.6 of 10; say where you stand (Political position from election results) |
| Abortion law | also on social or economic grounds; say where you stand (Abortion in law, from the statutes cited) | also on social or economic grounds; say where you stand (Abortion in law, from the statutes cited) |
| Same-sex couples in law | marriage; say where you stand (Same-sex couples in law, from the statutes cited) | marriage; say where you stand (Same-sex couples in law, from the statutes cited) |
| Founders Running Club | no chapter (Founders Running Club communities) | no chapter (Founders Running Club communities) |
| Coworking spaces | 6 spaces (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API) | 19 spaces (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API) |
| Climbing gyms | 5 gyms (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API) | 5 gyms (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API) |
| Swimming pools | 6 pools (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API) | 8 pools (OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API) |
| Beach days | 6 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) | 3 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) |
| Run or ride days | 276 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) | 264 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) |
| Few muggy days | 0 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) | 0 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) |
| Few grey days | 165 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) | 194 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) |
| Cool nights for sleeping | 0 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) | 0 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) |
| Few heat-stress days | 1 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) | 0 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) |
| Few snow days | 3 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) | 7 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) |
| Few windy days | 15 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) | 6 days a year (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis)) |

## Questions

### Is it cheaper to live in Cambridge or Manchester?

For one person renting a one-bedroom home, Manchester is cheaper: about €2,973 a month against €3,269, rent and everyday spending included. Rent comes from official rent statistics and everyday spending is scaled by each country's World Bank price level.

### How much do you take home on €60,000 a year in Cambridge and in Manchester?

About £39,727 a year in Cambridge (United Kingdom 2026 tax rules) and £39,727 in Manchester (United Kingdom 2026 tax rules), after income tax and employee social contributions.

### Where do you keep more money each month, Cambridge or Manchester?

On €60,000 gross, renting a one-bedroom home: €680 a month left in Cambridge and €976 in Manchester, after tax, rent, everyday spending and health care.

### Which is warmer, Cambridge or Manchester?

Cambridge is warmer: average daily highs of the air over the year are 15.1 °C against 14.0 °C in Manchester (Historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis), Open-Meteo, 2021-2025).

## Cite

Borgo, "Cambridge vs Manchester", https://borgo.abcastor.com/compare/cambridge-gb-vs-manchester-gb/, figures as of 2026-11-05.