Everyone is always going on about London. But what about the North? 

It’s not as bleak as you might hear. Just look at Manchester…

1. It’s got all the perks of a city, without the intimidating size. 

 

2. You can rent a penthouse apartment for the price of a ground floor studio in London.

Well, pretty much. Rent prices are over 50% cheaper in Manchester.

3. And the cost of living in general is a whole 40% cheaper. 

Meaning you’ll always have leftover wages at the end of the month.

 

4. It has the busiest bus route in Europe, so you’ll never wait too long for your bus to arrive. 

And if you get a magic bus, your weekly commute never needs to cost more than £7.50.

 

5. Its music scene is abundant and unrivalled.

Intimate venues are everywhere; Night & Day, Roadhouse, Ruby Lounge and Deaf Institute – some of Manchester’s most famous bands started out in places like these.

6. Not to mention the Warehouse Project, if you’re after something just a bit bigger. 

7. The nightlife is equally diverse. No matter what you’re into, there’s a place for you. 

And unlike some clubs in London, you don’t have to pay a limb to get in.

8. The vandalism is as friendly as the people.

9. And it’s safe to make eye contact with people on public transport. You might even make a friend. 

10. The Northern Quarter is somewhere you definitely need to visit. 

Host to unique bars, restaurants and quirky shops – who needs Shoreditch?

11. It also hosts an annual street party.

12. And is home to a lot of Manchester’s best street art.

 

13. Most notably, The Outhouse project, which has been running since 2010. It sees areas of the Northern Quarter repainted every three months. 

 

14. You can grab a drink in The Temple, an old Victorian public toilet converted into one of Manchester’s most intimate and quirky bars.

15. Manchester has the largest student population in Europe.

So there’s always somewhere close by to get a cheap pint.

16. The central library just reopened and it’s amazing.

17. You’ll enjoy your lunch in the sun in Piccadilly Gardens.

18. You can take the tram to work.

But the novelty will wear off.

19. And there’s a wheel here, too.

Also considerably cheaper (but smaller).

20. It’s a hub for other great Northern cities like Liverpool, Leeds & Sheffield. 

21. The BBC moved here, so it must be great.

And they brought a load of media jobs with them.

22. Football has never felt more at home than in Manchester. The National Football museum is right in the city centre. 

23. Almost Famous was born here. 

What’s Almost Famous? Only one of the best burger places in the world.

24. Many of the UK’s best bands originate from Manchester.

Stone Roses, Oasis, The Smiths, Doves, Elbow, Happy Mondays, Buzzcocks, The Chemical Brothers, The Verve, James, Joy Division – to name a few.

25. Love science? You’ll love The Museum of Science & Industry.

26. You can watch indie films while enjoying a cocktail at the Cornerhouse cinema.

27. The Manchester accent. Enough said.

28. You can go and see an episode of Jeremy Kyle in the ITV studios – just to remind you of your student days.

29. The Coronation Street set is also here. And you’ll definitely run into members of the cast when partying in the city. 

30. The Parklife festival will fulfil all your summer music needs. 

31. Green spaces aren’t hard to come by, either. Heaton and Platt Fields parks are particularly worth visiting on a sunny day. 

32. If the high-flying life is for you, it’s always a classy affair in Spinningfields and Castlefield.

Home to restaurants, beer gardens and expensive cocktail bars.

33. The Alchemist is the place to be if you fancy an alcoholic concoction. And there’s two of them in Manchester.

34. If city living isn’t your thing, you’re never too far from suburbia. 

35. The canals are ideal for a jog. Or you could do the sensible thing, rent a boat and go on a booze cruise. 

36. Because an Oasis sing-along definitely improves every drunken journey home. 

37. The Manchester Christmas markets are bigger than Christmas itself. Not even Lapland can compete. 

38. The Trafford Centre is an amazing place for shopping, alcohol and Laser Quest. 

It even boasts Europe’s largest food court, which is essentially the only excuse you need to move to Manchester.

39. Curry Mile is a thing here and it’s incredible.

A huge stretch of takeaways where everyone goes after a night out. Wikipedia says it’s “the largest concentration of South Asian restaurants outside the Indian subcontinent.”

40. Records are broken in Manchester.

And it was ranked the 5th best sports city in the World (2012) after London, Sydney, Melbourne & New York.

41. Manchester has one of the lowest gender pay gaps in the country.

On average in the UK, women earn 17.7% less than men. In Manchester that statistic is at 9.6%. It’s still a long way off where it should be, but Manchester is leading the way in gender pay equality.

42. It’s quickly becoming the new place to be for young graduates.

With it’s low cost of living, job prospects and quality of life – it’s no wonder everyone is staying up North