Blousky - as a Londoner who has worked in both Manchester and Liverpool, all I can say is NO!
They are both crime-ridden, provincial cesspits entirely filled with drug addled, underclass scum. Or in Liverpool's case, self-righteous, drug addled, underclass scum. (By the way Danny it's Tim Nice-But-Dim, but I'm sure you be deleting this as soon as you see it).
The North of England is quite frankly an embarrassment to the South-east which financially props it up. Northerners reading this may well squeal, but home truths sometimes hurt. London may well be more expensive (that's because people want to live there), but you will at least find other Belgians there and Belgian restaurants and bars. Most Northerners think a Belgian bar is made of chocolate.
The difference between the South and North of England is the difference between Liege and Lesotho.