Can't decide between Manchester or London!

[runnerbean09]

Currently live in Manchester. I went to uni here, lived elsewhere (midlands) for a bit then moved back last year. I'm not sure about the city and have been thinking about moving to London.

Pros of Manchester
Can afford to buy a house here - that's my biggest influencer so far. I'm quite fed up of sharing.
Have reasonably well paid job - 34k current salary
Makes sense to settle here as it is affordable
Haven't made a huge effort socially

Cons of Manchester
Have struggled to find friends here. At my age people seem settled down and I'm not anywhere near that
Don't have the London experience
Salaries overall are lower

I don't have family in either city so that doesn't sway my decision.

Am 28, single and work in advertising.

Wwyd?

Give London a shot. It’s a great place to live, especially if you can earn a decent whack like you can in advertising. If you’ve only been living in Manchester for a year then I don’t think you’ve got anything to lose by trying something new.

Manchester. London, like the past, is another country.

We do tend to get coupled up earlier in Manchester, simply because the ability to settle down etc isn't financially beyond most late twentysomethings as it is in London. If I were single and looking, and had no ties to either city, I suspect I'd probably do it in London. Bigger pool.

The big question for me (in your shoes I mean, I'd never even consider London myself) is how much lower would your purchasing power be there? Would it buy you a quality of life you consider acceptable?

I'd give London a shot for a few years to have that experience and progress in career terms. Try and save a bit while you're there.

Then you can always return to Manchester when you're more ready to settle down, buy a house, etc.

At your age and stage? London every time.

For when you're older and want a bigger property and may have a family and hav established yourself in your career? Manchester!

Manchester is awesome but London gives added credibility to your CV that nowhere else can match IMO.

BUT it's not easy, however wonderful it is. Commuting is hard and expensive; finding a property is hard and expensive; getting around to see friends can be hard and expensive; everywhere is busy... for all the buzz and excitement, it's tiring and can be lonely when you first move. Good luck!

I've lived in both and unles you're on really good money (60/70k+) manchester every time.

IME (from a good many years ago, when salaries were higher relative to living costs) dating or socialising in London is not easier/better, but the opposite.

London housing costs loads and will eat up a bigger salary.

Main advantage of London IME is jobs.

If you have DC housing is an issue too, and most people live somewhere small or move out but keep a london job - commuting is rough. And childcare is expensive and often crap!

Here's a curve ball, if nothing is keeping you in either city why not go further afield? I work in advertising and a year in Sydney did more for my career than I could have ever imagined.

I am a grass is greener type person and I haven't really made any effort to make friends here. I'm wondering if I did it might change my mind.

I genuinely worry I will never meet anyone here either.

Manchester.

I just don't get why people love London so much, nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. Expensive AF, terrible housing situation, high salaries but everything else is so expensive it doesn't matter, filthy, smelly, overcrowded and full of assholes.

London! It’s a no-brainer. Like steak and burgers. I like burgers but there’s no denying that steak is better quality!

In terms of CV credibility, it depends on field really. If the plan were to move back to Manchester later, having worked in London isn't necessarily going to be more attractive to Manc recruiters than having better local knowledge and networks. I certainly wouldn't be any more impressed by experience gained in London when I'm involved in recruiting, but there are probably sectors that would.

One thing I do think is significant and hasn't been mentioned wrt career is that there aren't many advertising jobs in Manchester. If and when you want to move on, your options are more limited. That might make you feel a bit more trapped if you get a shitty new boss or your firm move office and make your commute harder or whatever. I think in London there's more potential to move.

Advertising is probably too specific, I work in house not agency. Have never struggled to find work if I'm honest.

Manchester definitely. I like London but love Manchester. It's much more affordable and I find it much friendlier as well. Plus with Media City and the Beeb moving more stuff up here, advertising is likely to grow so further opportunities should develop. Whilst your salary might be lower here, it will go further - have you looked at the cost of rents in London? Your disposable income is likely to be far less down there.

Oh ok. I was thinking there isn't really much of an advertising industry as such in Manchester, especially not with jobs paying 34k to someone who presumably only has a few years of experience. But if you're in a field where there are a number of jobs that might change things OP. I really like living in Manchester but there's a good amount of choice and opportunity in my sector. I think it's more difficult when there are only 1 or 2 places that do your specialism. If you work in one and then leave and you don't like the other, you're kind of stuck.

What sort of salary would you be getting in London?

I don't actually think I'd be on a lot more in London. My skills are more in demand here and I'm often approached by recruiters. There's Leeds and Liverpool in commuting distance.

I am more interested in the social opportunities and dating. But like I said I haven't made loads of effort here.

I've been approached by an agency with offices in London, Manchester, Amsterdam and Singapore. I was thinking if I got the job I could perhaps start in Manc, buy a bigger house then move to London if I'm still not happy. But I feel like that would take a couple of years and I might be too old then!

If you haven't made the effort, why not make the make the effort for, say, 12 months, and then decide?

That opportunity sounds good, you could bag yourself a move via the
Company and at
Their expense plus pay rise for living in a bigger city!

London. It will be a fantastic experience to spend at least a few years in the best city in the world. I am from Manchester and I like it, but it just cannot compare. You can always move there after a few years and I get that property is cheaper etc, but whilst you are young and in an industry with lots of jobs and opportunities, I would advise London all the way. Remember, you only regret the things you didn't do!

Why not buy a house in Manchester and rent it out so keeping your options open?

I lived for 5 years in London aged 23-28. By the last few years I couldn't wait to get back to Manchester, where I did my undergraduate degree, and i live in manc now and love it. Most of my friends are still in London and i did miss them. London wasn't for me. It's so expensive, and while i enjoyed the first couple of years, exploring etc, i got tired and jaded quickly. Spending a load of money on a leaky 1 bed flat with hardly any light really depressed me. We have a three bed semi in didsbury now, and the mortgage repayments are less than the rent on that place!

It can be difficult to make friends in London, as pp have said, people have their own cliques. I do have great memories of my first few years there, so exciting and fun, but i had a lot of friends there from uni so loads of people to hang out with. I did speed dating and all sorts it was fun. I met now-DH there (online dating, before tinder etc took off) and started to settle down, as did my friends, some of whom drifted off to other places, then it got a bit boring.

Anyway, enough of my life story! Cons of London are that it can be very unfriendly and crowded, dirty, and it can make you feel trapped, if you want to "move on" (for lack of a better phrase) with your life (buy a place, have kids) because it's so god damn expensive. BUT... I wouldn't change my decision to live there, and I'd encourage my DD to experience it one day. It's amazing, but so difficult to put down roots. It depends on you as a person and what you want from life, but it is a great experience.

(I'm pining for my 23 year old days, out clubbing in infernos in Clapham now, while my 2 year old wails at my feet )

Hmm, if you'd be swapping 34k in Manchester for like 40k in London, I'd have to be very sure the lifestyle and experience there would compensate for the lower purchasing power. I dont think I'd do it unless i were really sure I wanted it- and you sound lukewarm. 34k in Manchester in your late 20s, and in demand in your field, is going to give you a pretty nice life here.

In your particular circumstances, then I'd say London every time. It's an international city with culture & entertainment to match & will look great on your CV. Even if you only go for a couple of years, you'll have had an amazing experience & will have 'got it out of your system' rather than thinking 'if only / what if'.

There'll be plenty of time for settling in Manchester when you have a family / DCs. Do it whilst you're still young enough & free enough!

If I'm totally honest with myself I want to move because I like partying and I want to meet someone! But I haven't made a lot of effort to make that happen here.