United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Glasgow City vs Manchester
Glasgow City (Scotland · ~636k people) · Manchester (North West, England · ~556k people)
Of 1 strictly-comparable measure: Glasgow City leads on 1. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
These two authorities sit under different statistical regimes, so some rows compare series with different methodologies (flagged below). Flagged rows are shown for context but excluded from the headline count above.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Glasgow City
£38,766/yr
Around UK average
Manchester
£37,211/yr
Worse than 73% of UK LAs
Glasgow City: 4% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median vs UK HPI mean · Sep 2025 / Year ending Sep 2025
Glasgow City
£193,760
Better than 84% of UK LAs
Manchester
£247,500
Better than 61% of UK LAs
Series use different methodologies (see source line) — treat the gap as indicative.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR vs Scot Gov PRS · 2025 (2-bed median) / 2026-03
Glasgow City
£1,090/mo
Worse than 57% of UK LAs
Manchester
£1,347/mo
Worse than 75% of UK LAs
Series use different methodologies (see source line) — treat the gap as indicative.
Not comparable for this pair
- Council tax (Band D): England and Wales only — Scotland bands differently, Northern Ireland uses domestic rates.
- Recorded crime: England and Wales only — Scotland and Northern Ireland publish under different counting rules.
- Deprivation (IMD): England only — SIMD/WIMD/NIMDM use separate methodologies that don't cross-compare.
- Schools (Ofsted): England only — Estyn, Education Scotland and ETI inspect under non-comparable frameworks.
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.
Glasgow City
Rent takes 34% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 5.0× median annual pay
Manchester
Rent takes 43% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.7× median annual pay
Full Glasgow City 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.