Property
Manchester rent is now ‘41% more expensive than five years ago, according to a recent study
Obviously, the figures being faced are most difficult for people living alone.
Danny Jones -
2nd April 2026 
Yes, that’s right, as per some of the latest data on leased housing in central Manchester, it’s now approximately 41% more expensive to rent here than it was half a decade ago.
If you’ve lived in and around the city centre for long enough, chances are that you’ve already been feeling that difference, especially of late.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis roughly began in 2021, following the economy and the world essentially opening back up after multiple lockdowns, so it’s little surprise that new research has shown affordability when it comes to renting has been on a slump ever since, too.
As well as the price of seemingly most things in everyday life going up post-pandemic, the average rental rate for even just a one-bedroom flat/apartment has jumped up significantly between 2020 and 2025.
That’s according to the numbers crunched by credit card experts, Zable, anyway.
Not only did their recent report cite the rent prices going up even before the cost of living crisis – essentially following the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak – but if their figures, the rate of inflation and the unwaveringly high demand for housing are anything to go by, this trajectory is likely to continue in 2026.
As of February this year, around one in three UK households is now a single-person occupancy, which already comes with its challenges (the Manchester City Council tax discount being a thin lifeline for countless), not to mention energy bills and the cost of groceries continuing on an upwards trend.
Put in the simplest and most reductive terms, it’s now almost £300 dearer for most people to live on their own than it was back in 2020, and besides Liverpool clocking in as second on the list of increasingly expensive cities to live (a 42.12% increase), Manchester came in third.
You can see the full table down below:
| Rank | City | % increase – 2020-2025 | Difference from 2020 to 2025 in £ | Average rental cost for a 1 bed 2025 |
| 1 | Newport | 47.39% | £2,611 | £8,121 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 42.12% | £2,290 | £7,727 |
| 3 | Manchester | 41.00% | £3,364 | £11,569 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 40.28% | £4,620 | £16,090 |
| 5 | Leicester | 39.93% | £2,391 | £8,379 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton | 39.22% | £2,049 | £7,273 |
| 7 | Nottingham | 39.07% | £2,400 | £8,543 |
| 8 | Glasgow | 38.02% | £2,679 | £9,725 |
| 9 | Colchester | 37.63% | £2,617 | £9,572 |
| 10 | Cardiff | 37.06% | £2,828 | Average rental cost for a 1-bed 2025 |
Another fear is that with lots of people finding it hard to manage living in other major cities like London, even those moving to Manchester are also having an impact on how available affordable housing is here.
That’s why schemes such as the new ‘social rent’ development over in Wythenshawe are so important to the current generations of renters, with the possibility of owning your own property in the future becoming increasingly difficult for so many.
It’s also worth noting that Manchester ranked fourth among the British locations where the cost of living is said to have increased the most over the past five years, with the average difference in annual spend growing by an estimated 22.84%.
You can read their breakdown in full right HERE.
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Featured Images — The Manc Group
