Overview
- Lecia, a 31-year-old social media manager, posted the comparison on Thursday after moving with her boyfriend from a four-person London flat to a two-bedroom Manchester apartment.
- She says she was paying the equivalent of £825 each in London where the house had mould, mice and decaying floorboards and that she developed asthma while living there.
- In Manchester she and her partner now share a two-bed, two-bath apartment and pay £1,650 between them for a unit with a balcony and amenities such as a gym, pool and sauna.
- Lecia told reporters her mental health and ability to save have improved since the move and that a difficult housemate in London added stress and payment risks when using flat‑share sites like SpareRoom.
- The story, carried by regional lifestyle outlets and amplified on TikTok and Instagram, illustrates a wider north–south rent and value gap in the UK rather than providing independent verification of individual claims.