Screw London, I’m moving to Manchester

London is tiring place. A recent survey by Youthful Cities revealed that major cities were at risk of losing millennials in the next decade. 58 per cent of the 15,000 people surveyed said they were planning on leaving London in the next ten years because of the cost of living, limited employment opportunities and safety concerns.

Clearly, living in London has a lot of downfalls. But all the good things you associate with living there – going out, food, shopping, jobs – are just the same in Manchester. The living cost is cheaper, going out is better, there’s loads of jobs – it’s even been called ‘the breeding ground for unicorn businesses’. I’m not the only one who prefers the Northern powerhouse to the capital. Here’s why you should consider moving there instead.

The cost of living is cheaper

On average, it’s 40 per cent cheaper than London. That means you can live somewhere larger for less, and you’ll be more likely to be able to buy a property eventually. You’ll have more money left over for food, drink and nights out – which are cheaper there too.

Going out is better

Any type of  night, music or club from London can be found in Manchester too. Sometimes quite literally, in the case of Gold Teeth, Stevie Wonderland and Fever 105. There’s fancy places in Deansgate, venues for emerging acts like Soup Kitchen, super clubs like Sankeys, affordable but swanky bars like The Alchemist, not to mention The Warehouse Project. Even Soho House group are opening new Manchester site, if that’s what you’re into.

Compare that to a night in London: expensive, long Ubers (sometimes hour long bus journeys), £30 entry and having to plan your events weeks in advance to get a ticket.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BClD349rmhC/?taken-by=whp_mcr

Its gender pay gap is lower

In the UK, women earn 17.7 per cent less than men, while in Manchester that statistic is 9.6 per cent. Sure, it’s still not where it should be – but it’s a step in the right direction.

The food is just as good

Manchester has pretty much all the food you can get in London, but closer together. There’s a China Town, The Curry Mile,  gourmet restaurants like Australasia and independent cafes and restaurants in the Northern Quarter. There’s even a cafe called Teacup with fifty different types of earl grey. There’ll be a different food market every day, and there’s B.Eat Street which is Manchester’s cheaper and bigger equivalent to Dinerama.

And it’s really good for vegetarians and vegans

Manchester caters really well for vegetarians and vegans. There’s The Eighth Day on the Oxford Road where you can stock up on vegan food, Gourmet veggie restaurant The 1847, Fuel in Withington for comfort veggie-food and Earth Vegaterian Cafe and Juice Bar in the Northern Quarter. There’s even Unicorn supermarket which only sells products from non-animal origins.

There’s so many jobs and you can still earn loads

Along with Cambridge, Manchester was recently named the best place to work by job site Adzuna. Advertised salaries have risen by eight per cent in the past year to an average of more than £34,500. The average UK salary is £27,531.

It’s just as beautiful too look at

Our LGBT scene is great

Manchester has G-A-Y and Gay Village on Canal Street, as well as loads of other places dotted across the city. We’re also home to one of the best gay pride festivals in Europe – Manchester Pride.

Who needs Shoreditch when you’ve got The Northern Quarter?

The street art’s nicer, the cafes and bars are cheaper – and you won’t have to queue for an hour outside either. You never know, a stranger might even smile at you too.

There’s some huge companies based there

Companies like the BBC, Kellogs and The Co-op have branches there, and companies like Boohoo and Missguided are solely based in Manchester too.