Manchester

Manchester is the second largest urban area in England, and is often thought of as the UK’s second city. Located in the north west of England nestled between Liverpool and Leeds, Manchester is also reportedly the UK’s fastest growing city economically. The area’s 2.8 million residents are incredibly proud of their city – and rightly so. In 2018 Manchester was officially named the Best Place To Live In The UK in The Economist‘s Global Livability Index. Read on to discover the developments rated by residents as the best places to live in Manchester and to read reviews from locals who own or rent in Manchester.

The landlocked county of Manchester is mostly urban and comprises ten boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan and the cities of Manchester and Salford.

Historically, the textiles industry generated most of Manchester’s wealth. However, the city has developed to become a major exporter of media, music and football. It’s home to two international football teams – Manchester United and Manchester City – as well as popular TV soap Coronation Street and five universities.

4.74
Average Location Score

Excellent

80%

Very Good

15%

Average

4%

Disappointing

1%

Very Poor

0%

Best places to live in Manchester

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

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Street with tram in Manchester

Getting Around Manchester

If you haven’t visited Manchester for a few years you might be in for a surprise. The city’s skyline has changed dramatically in the last decade, with new residential development springing up around the city centre. More people are living in Manchester city centre than ever before.

“The tram station is a minute away which is a huge deal for me. Super easy to get around town because of that. We’re also in range of a lot of restaurants so deliveroo and Uber eats are awesome for us. So many choices. Overall we’re in a really great location.”  Mark-Christian, Verified Resident of The Trilogy

Spinningfields is one of the richest areas to live in Manchester. It is an area popular with footballers and soap stars. The amenities, array of restaurants and bars on the doorstep make this a highly desirable area; if you can afford the price. The River Irwell runs right through the heart of Spinningfields with developments Potato Wharf to the west and 10-12 Whitworth Street to the east. There are communal areas such as Hardman Square where local workers meet for lunch.

“The area is the best, its quiet but close to centre, close to the canal. Its close to the deansgate station. And its close to deansgate so loads of bars and restaurants there.” Anon, Verified Resident of Potato Wharf

Travel times to Manchester

Manchester is extremely well connected to the rest of the UK by road, rail and coach. London can be reached in two hours and 21 minutes by train, while Birmingham is only an hour and a half. For more details see our blog on Travel times to Manchester for connection times to all major UK cities.

Manchester from above

The Alternative Areas of Manchester

The reputation of Ancoats isn’t the best and was once viewed as the rough area of Manchester. A recent regeneration has allowed the dilapidated mills and deserted streets to become a much popular area. With new luxury flats like Flint Glass Wharf and The Ice Plant that are rated as some of the best places to live in Manchester, there are shops, bars, and new restaurants opening on a weekly basis and a flood of new residents moving to this area.

The Northern Quarter has a similar reputation to Ancoats with once empty streets now home to cafes, chic vintage shops or hip new bars. Local Mancunians are drawn to this area for the uniqueness and eclectic offering of property like Nuovo Apartments and Burlington House with sites between the two. Not as cheap as Ancoats it is not as expensive as other city centre areas. You are more likely to find quirky spaces, high ceilings, or conversions full of character. For many Castlefield boasts the best of both worlds. The convenience of town just a five-minute walk away but it is more peaceful, quiet and has some stunning views down by the canal. Many locals feel you get the best of both worlds living here. 

“The area is brilliant – we are so central to town – and Ancoats is really up and coming at the moment. The only downsides are the noisy road outside – but that is to be expected anywhere central!”  Naomi, Verified Resident of Nuovo Apartments

Manchester city

Outside the City Centre

For something new, visit Salford Quays. Whilst not the city centre every day the two seem to merge closer and closer. Salford Quays has become the media hub of not just Manchester but the UK with the iconic MediaCity. Many companies are relocating to the north west bringing with them new residents who are making this area of the city their home at developments like Middlewood Locks and Wilburn Basin. Both rated as great places to rent in Manchester. Salford Quays offers riverside living with shops, architecture and scenic views.

You can find out more about living in Manchester by reading reviews from residents. Click on the developments below to find out more about residents’ experiences and discover great places to rent in Manchester. If there’s a Manchester property that you can’t see on HomeViews,  you can add a new listing and leave your review here.

Best schools in Manchester

The city boasts some excellent schools, which we’ve covered in detail in our blog post on the 10 best schools in Manchester. Top of the list is Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, which is the 8th highest-rated school in the UK. The Altrincham Grammar School for Boys comes in second place.

Manchester universities

Manchester is home to no less than four major universities. The University of Manchester is the best-known, with 40,000 students, while Manchester Metropolitan is a similar size. The Universities of Bolton and Salford also fall within the Greater Manchester area.

For more details, see our in-depth guide to universities in Manchester.

Things to do in Manchester

Manchester’s reputation as a vibrant and characterful city continues to grow. Whether you’re into music, sport, food and drink, history, architecture or shopping, Manchester has a lot to offer. See our guide on the Top 10 things to do in Manchester for some ideas of where to start.

Featured developments in Manchester

Image of The Castings, M1

The Castings, M1

Native
4.99 (8 reviews) 4.99 (8 reviews)
Image of The Gateway, M4

The Gateway, M4

Lovell Homes
0.00 (0 reviews) 0.00 (0 reviews)
Image of Platting Village, M4

Platting Village, M4

Lovell Homes
0.00 (0 reviews) 0.00 (0 reviews)
Image of Angel Gardens, M4

Angel Gardens, M4

Moda Living
4.73 (283 reviews) 4.73 (283 reviews)
Image of The Trilogy, M15

The Trilogy, M15

Allsop Letting and Management
4.88 (300 reviews) 4.88 (300 reviews)

Reviews in Manchester

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Excellent place to live in a great location

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Oct 2024

Excellent location, central to Piccadilly station, convenient shops nearby and no issues with traffic noise or anti-social behaviour. Occasionally events held at sackville gardens create noise but nothing too disturbing

Please review your development:

Property management on the whole is really good, building is kept clean and the team are responsive to issues, and always friendly to chat to. My only issue has been a delay in reviving meter readings at the end of each month. Everything is clearly explained by the management team who are happy to help.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

This is a very central location to Manchester which can make finding green space challenging, if that is something you want in a place you live in.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

On the whole they have responded quickly and effectively to any problems such as a faulty washing machine I had.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
4
Value
4
Management
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The design is beautiful

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Oct 2024

There is a huge variety of stores, parks, public transport, restaurant, takeaways etc. there is private parking. There are dangerous people who shout at night and during the day sometimes.

Please review your development:

The design is beautiful. I think all of the buildings have been built very aesthetically pleasing. The facilities available are very good. Property management is effective, efficient and thorough. I am always contacted back, my problems are always fixed. Never left.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The most convenient place to stay in my opinion. Just a little dangerous as there are drunk people or intoxicated people on drugs shouting through the streets during the day and night.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

They will email, phone call and or send someone out to review the problem.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
4
Value
5
Management
User submitted image of Hulme Living, M15
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Feels like luxury, feels like home.

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Oct 2024

The building location is fabulous, it’s in a new part of town called picadilly east which is becoming a little community. There are plenty of local shops to get groceries and plenty of parking facilities including the private car park. It’s around a 15 minute walk to the centre of town so it provides restaurants, night life but also the beautiful scenic views of the canal and parks.

Please review your development:

The design and interior aswell as exterior is exceptional, the luxury feel of every cushion, couch and outside area is amazing and you almost feel so cosy and warm when walking in, no space feels to empty, the facilities from the cinema room to the games room, to the gym and the work from home area is just next level amazing.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The wait on the council tax bracket. I know this cannot be helped by the castings themselves but the council has still not recognised our flat to this date (22.10) and this is weighing heavy on bill paying. The flat we viewed was also a different layout to the one we were given and we wish pictures were given to us prior so we could organise decorations.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Yes! I had a problem with my window and it was dealt with straight away.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
User submitted image of The Castings, M1
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Nice accomodation

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Oct 2024

Brilliant area to live, with plenty of amenities and good access to transport. Lack of parking with the building, private car park opposite isn’t the best.

Please review your development:

Building management gave been great and welcoming, no issues with post collection etc. Cotton carpets throughout are succesptible to carpet moth infestation, severe infestation which hadn’t been sorted prior to move in and required exterminators to resolve, constant hoovering, and prevented us from unpacking properly for up to a month after move in.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

That the carpets were cotton, and the building was dealing with a moth infestation. We didn’t know that the living room had a Juliette balcony as this wasn’t shown in the online viewing or communicated beforehand, but was a nice surprise.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Any issues when raised were met by the building management well, who knew exactly what they were doing and we’re helpful. Took about a week to get the exterminators in to deal with the carpet moths, we would have liked this to be quicker particularly. In an email we received mention was made of determine if the issue was “historic” or not, which given the severity of the infestation and the fact we’d moved in recently, was not appreciated as it felt like management were trying to blame us for this, when it shouldn’t have been for us to deal with on the first place being present when we moved in and is known to be a problem present throughout the building (told by the exterminators)

4
Facilities
4
Design
5
Location
4
Value
4
Management
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