A sample of work exploring housing affordability in Vancouver:
If I were a journalist, I would likely choose the manual breaks method. This method would be very easy to communicate to readers, and they would likely understand the message I am trying to get across. I might alter these breaks a little bit, but as far as ease of communication the round numbers of manual breaks offer an advantage.
As a real estate agent, I would choose the equal interval method, as there is much more information surrounding the cost of housing around UBC. This would give the client a better idea of exactly where to look based on their price range.