City Pop. 428,605

Living in Manchester: Liveability Score 67/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Manchester scores 67/100 overall, across 9 scored categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 93/100 against a national town median of 18/100. Furthest below the national norm is safety, at 2/100 against a town median of 88/100.

Manchester is a place of extremes: 94/100 for transport against 2/100 for safety, a 92-point spread wider than roughly nine in ten UK towns. That sits 17 points above the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the top 5% of the towns and villages we score. Also scoring 80 or better: transport (94), lifestyle (93) and schools (90). For the surrounding area, see M1 postcode district.

67
OUT OF 100
Good
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Manchester scores 67 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Manchester.
Or compare:
M1 1AD M1 2AD M1 3AB M1 4AB M1 5AA M1 6AA M1 7AA M1 M11 M12 M13

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
2
164.6 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents · year ending Dec 2025

The police force covering this area doesn't publish street-level crime data, so this is a district-level estimate based on Home Office recorded-crime totals for Manchester. It's a different source from the rest of the map and can't be broken down by location or crime type.

Source: data.police.uk · England & Wales only

Environment
73
Air Quality NO₂ 15.7 · PM2.5 7.8 · PM10 12.1 µg/m³
63
Green Space 96
Parks Ample 342
Sports Pitches Ample 570
Allotments Ample 35
Golf Courses Ample 10
Tennis Courts Ample 133
Bowling Greens Ample 31
Playgrounds Ample 148

Services

Schools
90
Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 222 in area
25Outstanding149Good18Requires Improvement5Inadequate25Ungraded
  • Abbott Community Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Burnage Academy for BoysSecondary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Co-op Academy Belle VueSecondary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Cringle Brook Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Didsbury High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Grange SchoolSpecial · inspected 2023
    Outstanding
  • Holy Name Roman Catholic Primary School ManchesterPrimary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • King David Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Outstanding
  • Levenshulme High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2022
    Outstanding
  • Manley Park Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding

Ungraded: inspected, but Ofsted no longer issues a single overall grade (since Sept 2024).

Healthcare
93
A&E departmentsNorth Manchester General Hospitalin area
Manchester Royal Infirmaryin area
Manchester University Hospitals (central site)in area
Hospital waitsBlackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust0.1 mi
Routine referral (median)13 wks
Treated within 18 weeks61.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs82.5%
35 GP surgeries in area 44 within 4km best 'Outstanding'
GP capacity2,196 patients per GP
37dentists48pharmacies

Score reflects proximity to CQC-rated GP surgeries and hospitals, not facility count. Dentists and pharmacies are shown for context but don't affect the score.

Broadband
75
Full fibre (FTTP)84.3%
available across Manchester
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
92.4%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
92.8%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.3%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 9,876 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
31
Employment rate53.2%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed53.2%Unemployed5.8%Retired10.5%Student13.5%Other inactive17%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial39.6%Skilled & technical29.7%Routine & elementary30.6%
Highest qualification (16+)
No qualifications19.3%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)7.7%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)10%Level 3 (A levels)18.3%Level 4+ (degree & above)38.7%Apprenticeship3.4%Other (incl. vocational)2.7%
Home ownership37.9%
Among the most-deprived 24% of areas in England
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
60
Council tax Manchester · 2026-27
A £1,541
B £1,798
C £2,055
D £2,312
E £2,826
F £3,340
G £3,853
H £4,624
Energy North West England region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band C
Water United Utilities
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
94
Ardwick 0.2 mi
Manchester Piccadilly 0.6 mi
Ashburys 0.9 mi
J3 M602 2.8 mi
J24 M60 3.4 mi
J1 M67 3.6 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
93
Pubs & Bars Ample 441
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 849
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 327
Retail Shopping Ample 2058
Takeaways Ample 453
Fitness Ample 109

Places like Manchester Pro

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House Prices

Current median sale prices · last 12 months · England & Wales only

Type Median price Sales
All dwellings £260,000 1,932
Detached £410,000 63
Semi-detached £319,000 542
Terraced £261,000 598
Flat / Maisonette £216,000 729
5-year monthly trend
All Detached Semi Terraced Flat
£194k £292k £394k £493k 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (OGL v3.0)

Nearby places

Droylsden 67 3.0 mi away ⇄
Salford 66 3.0 mi away ⇄
Reddish 73 3.4 mi away ⇄
Failsworth 68 3.6 mi away ⇄
Audenshaw 66 3.7 mi away ⇄
Old Trafford 74 3.8 mi away ⇄
Woodhouses 73 4.0 mi away ⇄
Stretford 73 4.1 mi away ⇄
Pendlebury 56 4.2 mi away ⇄
Denton (Tameside) 66 4.3 mi away ⇄
Prestwich 66 4.6 mi away ⇄
Rhodes 54 5.0 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Manchester a nice place to live?

Yes, Manchester is a nice place to live. Our liveability score for Manchester is 67/100, placing it among one of the better-scoring areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

How safe is Manchester?

Crime levels in Manchester are high relative to the national average. Our safety score is 2/100. There were 84,423 crimes recorded in the area over the past 12 months.

What are the best schools in Manchester?

Among the top-rated schools in Manchester are Abbott Community Primary School, Burnage Academy for Boys and Co-op Academy Belle Vue, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 222 rated schools in Manchester in total.

What are house prices like in Manchester?

The current median house price in Manchester is £260,000, around 9% below the England and Wales average. By property type: detached £410,000, semi-detached £319,000, terraced £261,000, flat £216,000. Over the past five years, prices have risen by around 11%. There were 1,932 sales recorded in the past 12 months.

Manchester in context

See where Manchester ranks among the best places to live in Greater Manchester

Postcode districts in Manchester

M1 66 ⇄
M11 65 ⇄
M12 67 ⇄
M13 67 ⇄
M14 68 ⇄
M15 67 ⇄
M16 76 ⇄
M18 66 ⇄
M19 68 ⇄
M2 66 ⇄
M20 68 ⇄
M21 67 ⇄
M3 66 ⇄
M35 67 ⇄
M4 66 ⇄
M40 65 ⇄
M43 67 ⇄
M60 67 ⇄
M61 69 ⇄
M7 65 ⇄
M8 65 ⇄
M9 64 ⇄
M99 66 ⇄
SK4 75 ⇄

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