Manchester - expensive place to live?

[Casso]

I've just been looking at the BBC Manchester website, and they are running a feature on the cost of living in Manchester. Mainly because it's about 132nd on a world list of expensive cities.

I've not been back to Gorton in 47 years so I can hardly comment, but I was amused - and a bit shocked - by some of the comments from readers, here are a couple:

Melanie, Abbey Hey
I have bought a house in Abbey hey which is a rather questionable area of manchester- but prices are now in excess of £85k! It was a good step on the ladder for me but how others are meant to become home owners at the prices of houses baffles me- there are plenty of houses boarded up with no occupancy, why arent the council sorting this out, instead of increasing the council tax? A good night out in manchester is expensive, as great a city as I believe it is, cabs seem to charge what they feel, and meals out can be costly-the cost of living has definately risen, but I wont stop going to the places I love within the city.

David, Preston
Myself and my partner are newly qualified teachers bringing £40k a year between us. I'm from Abbey Hey (Not Gorton) and my partner's from Eccles. We can't afford to live in Manchester anymore. Because of that, we live in Preston, where we teach due a lack of vacancies. We have a lot of friends back home who can't live in their city as people from elsewhere are pushing the prices up. The council(s) need to make sure that locals get a chance to live in Manchester as it's ourselves & our families what make Manchester the beautiful place what it is. Those of us from Manchester need to stand up for what is our home, people like myself want their kids to feel pride in their identity. We have so much to proud of. Let us pass that onto our kids Mr Leese.

I like the comment on Alan's district, and the emphasis that it is NOT Gorton ... any of you lot feel the cost of housing, cabs, restaurants etc are getting beyond a joke?

[lin]

HIYA CASSO...I CAN'T REALLY COMMENT ON THE PRICES OF LIVING IN MANCHESTER, BUT I THINK A NIGHT OUT ANYWHERE IS EXPENSIVE IN THIS COUNTRY...I LIVE IN CORNWALL, AND THE HOUSES HERE ARE OVER £200,000 TO BUY, SO IN COMPARISON I THING MANCHESTER IS STILL CHEAPER THAN THE SOUTH OF THE COUNTRY, WAGES ARE RIDICULOUSLY LOW FROM WHAT I CAN GATHER...ROGER'S WORK IS BASED IN LONDON SO HE KIND OF WORKS FOR HIMSELF DRIVING UP AND DOWN THE COUNTRY. A TAXI HERE IS ASTRONOMICAL IN PRICE BUT WE DO LIVE OUT IN THE STICKS AS THEY SAY...LOL!

I DO LIKE THE COMMENTS ON ALAN'S DISTRICT AS WELL, IT IS THE SAME HERE...TO BE HONEST I THINK THE COUNTRY HAS GONE TO THE DOGS, WHICH IS A SHAME...IT'S CERTAINLY NOT THE COUNTRY IT ONCE USED TO BE.

LIN

[lin]

Hi Tommy, I have only been back visiting Manchester, and we ate out every night...however the cost of eating out there is far cheaper than down here where we live.

Lin

[fluffymoat4]

I think everywhere in England young couples are finding it hard to get a foot on even the lower parts of the property ladder but I don't think this is a NEW thing! I remember struggling not only to get a foot on the ladder but to KEEP it there. (We had originally placed our names on the local Council waiting list but as other couples had children, their names went UP the list and ours just stayed at the same place, we realised we'd never be offered council accommodation at that rate)! We were finally offered "affordable" housing, built by a well-known building firm and the mortgages were available through our local council at a very reasonable rate. It was a two up two down terraced and cost just shy of £10,000 in 1979 (Old Trafford area).

When we first moved to North Yorkshire around 15 years ago we had to pay a lot more for property here than in the Trafford area of Manchester. Again we went back to struggling to pay the mortgage. Moving back to the Blackley area of Manchester six years ago we actually bought a much cheaper house and so benefitted from a lower mortgage but we'd had to settle for a much smaller house and garden!

We moved back to North Yorkshire recently and house prices had escalated yet again - we could not afford anything near the town of Selby and settled for a bungalow in one of the outlying villages. At last we have a property we like, in an affordable area but recently we received word from the council that they've had a review of Valuation Bands and ours will leap from the "C" Band (£1,202 per year rates) to the "F" band (£1,920 per year) if we ever SELL our bungalow!! (That's really going to ADD a selling point......... NOT!)

I have nieces and nephews in the Manchester area trying to buy property for the first time and one couple settled in the Salford area (two bedroomed apartment), another in Middleton (3 bed terraced) and yet another in Sale, Cheshire (3 bed terraced). The prices they told us revealed that there are variations in every district within the Manchester area. No change there then?

I just think that EVERY generation are going to find it hard buying their first property and we should remember our struggles in our early married life. It wasn't all gloom and doom though - it certainly made hubby and I more inventive when we couldn't afford a night out....! Our youngsters will find their own entertainment too...! After all, life has to go on.................!

[roofingman]

I grew up in Longsight and when I visit twice a year always drive by our old house to re-kindle memories...Longsight has a bad name now..due to a number of reasons..I think to myself that England is not getting bigger except the population..,,the parade of houses that made up my neighborhood, I noticed, in the past visits, this year, are starting to be "house proud again"..I also have noticed some houses in Levenshulme/Ardwick going the same way....These areas are not far from the city and I honestly think and some folks may laugh but these will proably turn out to be trendy areas in the distant future just like Didsbury..............Ian...Vancouver

[mavis]

Hi Cassi'
I was back in manchester last year for three months, couldn't believe how well off people seemed. especially pensioners, we dont get free bus fares free trains and metro, here in New Zealand or free doctors and free prescriptions, thought the senior citizens were doing pretty well, granted the food was expensive but they all looked pretty good to me. Even the pensioners could afford travel overseas quite a few times a year.So I don't think they are doing too bad at all, I have lived in NEw Zealand since 1973 it was n't too bad then but I think we have got left behind when you get to 60 in New Zealand. by the way Manchester even turned the weather on for us!!!! Absolutely great. Pity you haven't been back ithink its changed for the better.
Mavis