United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Somerset vs Manchester
Somerset (South West, England · ~564k people) · Manchester (North West, England · ~556k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Somerset leads on 3, Manchester on 3, 1 effectively tied. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Somerset
£36,951/yr
Worse than 75% of UK LAs
Manchester
£37,211/yr
Worse than 73% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Somerset
£285,000
Around UK average
Manchester
£247,500
Better than 61% of UK LAs
Manchester: 15% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Somerset
£980/mo
Around UK average
Manchester
£1,347/mo
Worse than 75% of UK LAs
Somerset: 37% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Somerset
£2,561/yr
Worse than 83% of UK LAs
Manchester
£2,312/yr
Better than 77% of UK LAs
Manchester: £249 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Somerset
83.1/1k
Worse than 66% of UK LAs
Manchester
143.2/1k
Worse than 98% of UK LAs
Somerset: 72% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019 (predecessor avg)
Somerset
19.0
Around UK average
Manchester
40.0
Worse than 98% of UK LAs
Somerset: lower average deprivation score (19.0 vs 40.0).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Somerset
81.3%
Worse than 99% of UK LAs
Manchester
90.3%
Worse than 76% of UK LAs
Manchester: 9.0 percentage points more pupils in Good/Outstanding schools.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
Somerset
Rent takes 32% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 7.7× median annual pay
Manchester
Rent takes 43% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.7× median annual pay
Full Somerset profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Manchester profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.