Birmingham vs Manchester
Birmingham Council charges £2,245.00 Band D council tax in 2025-26, compared to £2,183.00 for Manchester Council — a difference of £62.00. Manchester Council is cheaper.
Key metrics
Side-by-side comparison for 2025-26
BirminghamManchester
Band D Council Tax£2,245.00£2,183.00 (lower)
Year-on-year change+7.4%+5.6% (lower)
Total service budget£2.4 billion£1.3 billion
Population1,183,618589,670
Spending per person£2,031£2,198
Spending by service
Budget allocation comparison
BirminghamManchester
Education£1.0 billion£506.8 million
Adult Social Care£569.7 million£314.8 million
Children's Services£323.7 million£195.6 million
Environment & Streets£92.0 million£53.2 million
Roads & Transport£124.2 million£1.8 million
Housing£81.8 million£65.9 million
Leisure & Culture£55.9 million£41.2 million
Public Health£121.7 million£60.9 million
Planning£403,000£26.7 million
Council Services£25.6 million£28.3 million