Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $2,607 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Alton despite lower rent and utilities.

125

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,607

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alton and in Manchester

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alton and in Manchester actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,607 per month in Alton vs $2,499 in Manchester, rent included.

Alton $2,607
Manchester $2,499

A couple spends around $3,875 per month in Alton vs $3,623 in Manchester, rent included.

Alton $3,875
Manchester $3,623

A family of three spends $5,143 per month in Alton vs $4,747 in Manchester, rent included.

Alton $5,143
Manchester $4,747

Alton costs about 4% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alton and Manchester sit above the global median – Alton by 92%, Manchester by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.13 £20.42

$20.22 £15.22

34.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$86.0 £64.7

21.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 £8.09

$10.74 £8.08

0.09%

Cappuccino

$5.69 £4.28

$4.68 £3.52

21.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.28

$2.44 £1.84

24.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.66

$1.62 £1.22

35.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.07 £6.83

$7.78 £5.85

16.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 £5.99

$6.70 £5.04

18.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 £1.37

$1.51 £1.13

19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.88 £1.42

7.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 £1.89

$1.94 £1.46

29.38%

Eggs

$3.39 £2.55

$4.08 £3.07

-16.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 £9.61

$9.61 £7.23

32.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 £8.18

$8.98 £6.76

20.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 £12.98

$15.41 £11.60

11.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 £2.36

$3.09 £2.33

1.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.07

$1.58 £1.19

-10.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.25

$2.95 £2.22

1.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 £2.56

$3.35 £2.52

1.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.51 £1.14

11.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.35 £1.01

34.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 £1.11

$1.26 £0.95

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.23 £0.93

50.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.77 £17.89

$24.05 £18.10

-1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.90

$10.88 £8.19

-3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 £1.77

$2.43 £1.83

-3.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 £2.06

$3.17 £2.38

-13.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.49 £2.62

$2.73 £2.06

27.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.0 £73.8

$108 £81.2

-9.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 £4.11

$4.52 £3.40

20.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.55

$2.22 £1.67

52.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.69 £19.33

$30.82 £23.20

-16.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.58

$2.14 £1.61

-1.87%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.2K £28.8K

$38.5K £28.9K

-0.57%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.2K £30.2K

$40.0K £30.1K

0.28%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$369 £278

$252 £190

46.35%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.30 £13.77

$16.23 £12.21

12.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 £30.54

$39.58 £29.79

2.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.16 £34.74

$42.67 £32.12

8.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.59

Cinema Ticket

$17.88 £13.45

$13.44 £10.12

33.04%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,877 £2,165

$1,494 £1,125

92.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.7K £26.9K

$19.7K £14.8K

81.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 £87.9

$83.5 £62.9

39.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £41.04

$42.97 £32.34

26.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £96.6

$95.0 £71.5

35.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$106 £79.7

55.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 £938

$1,785 £1,344

-30.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 £767

$1,222 £920

-16.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,098 £1,579

$2,930 £2,205

-28.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 £1,267

$1,899 £1,429

-11.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,091 £3,832

$4,668 £3,513

9.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,807 £2,865

$4,397 £3,309

-13.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,555

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.82

-1.66%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alton: October 24, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alton

$1K 39.1%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 19.9% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alton

$428 16.4%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 28% $120

Eating Out

Alton

$400 15.3%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 20.3% $81

Groceries & Markets

Alton

$334 12.8%

Manchester

$299 12% 10.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Alton

$209 8%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 29.5% $62

Getting Around

Alton

$134 5.2%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Alton

$82 3.1%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 15.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,246 in Alton versus $1,785 in Manchester. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Alton versus $86 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $299 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Alton

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

Same time as Alton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,816

503,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alton Manchester 270 km

From you

Alton
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alton vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,607 in Alton, $2,499 in Manchester – Manchester comes out roughly 4% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,911 per month in Alton and $3,749 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,246 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Alton. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,877 per month in Alton and $1,494 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Manchester has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,499 in Manchester to $2,607 in Alton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.