This little comparison will perhaps come in handy for anyone who might have fallen so deeply in love with York that they’re seriously considering moving there and making the city their permanent home, but really we’re just bringing the cost of living in York into focus to try and settle a long-running dispute between the cities of York and Manchester.

These two cities come into focus in the same context because of the fact that they’re both engaged in somewhat of a constant battle for the status of being the UK’s second most visited city. London sits atop the summit of these stats, but anyone’s best guess would perhaps be that it’s because it is indeed the capital city of England.

The significance of this comparison will perhaps resonate more deeply with would-be tourists who are torn between visiting York and Manchester and a very good indicator of the value a city holds for travellers is indeed that of its cost of living. Generally speaking, the cost of living in York is 5% higher than that of Manchester, which should already start to give you an indication of the fact that there is just more to do and see in York.

There are lots of York hotels and other accommodation to consider as well. With it being such a tourist friendly city, the market has catered significantly to attracting people will a lot of holiday accommodation choice.

Something else to consider is the popularity of the football clubs which respectively call Manchester and York home. I think it would be fair to assume that a huge chunk of the foot traffic in visitors coming into Manchester has a lot to do with the globally popular football club, Manchester United, so we can safely say that a lot football fans from all over continental Europe roll into town when United is hosting their home leg of the continental club competition they’re participating in.

Things get a lot more interesting and I suppose a lot clearer as to which of the two is the better travel destination when we look at the exact factors which make one more expensive than the other (York). In any travel destination which is visited more for leisure purposes than anything else, the two biggest costs are perhaps food and accommodation and guess what? Food and housing are the only two expenses which see York having a higher cost of living than Manchester.

Housing costs about 28% more and food only 1% more, but these collectively suggest that York caters more to the tourism sector than domestic residents by way of its food and accommodation markets.

Otherwise, every other area either sees York matching Manchester for cost of living (Personal Care), or coming in much lower. Clothes cost 16% less in York, for example, while transportation costs 13% less than in Manchester. Entertainment costs 7% less and a lot of this has to do with the fact that there are a lot of completely free activities available in York, like the free walking tours for those who might want to catch a good view of the city’s history-filled structures and architecture.

So if you don’t already live in York, the slightly higher cost of living suggests that it is indeed a true tourist town!