Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnet and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,532 a month against $2,941 in Barnet, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barnet outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

141

Cost of Living Index in Barnet
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Barnet Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Barnet

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,941

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barnet 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 Barnet and in Manchester actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,941 per month in Barnet vs $2,532 in Manchester, rent included.

Barnet $2,941
Manchester $2,532

A couple spends around $4,337 per month in Barnet vs $3,686 in Manchester, rent included.

Barnet $4,337
Manchester $3,686

A family of three spends $5,732 per month in Barnet vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Barnet $5,732
Manchester $4,839

Barnet costs about 16% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Barnet and Manchester sit above the global median – Barnet by 117%, Manchester by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.54 £17.66

$20.23 £15.18

16.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.0 £69.0

$87.1 £65.3

5.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.76 £8.07

$10.83 £8.12

-0.65%

Cappuccino

$5.76 £4.32

$4.81 £3.61

19.75%

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

$2.89 £2.17

$2.44 £1.83

18.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.62 £1.21

19.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.99 £6.00

$7.82 £5.87

2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.92

$6.48 £4.86

1.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.45 £1.09

13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$1.95 £1.47

-8.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 £1.89

$1.86 £1.40

35.48%

Eggs

$4.82 £3.61

$4.05 £3.04

19.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 £8.67

$9.76 £7.32

18.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.96

$9.11 £6.83

16.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.26 £12.95

$15.52 £11.64

11.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.27

$3.20 £2.40

-5.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.52 £1.14

15.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.02 £2.26

0.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.46 £2.60

$3.34 £2.51

3.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.55 £1.17

17.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.30 £0.98

40.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.22 £0.92

1.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.28 £0.96

40.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.04 £18.04

$23.68 £17.77

1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 £9.00

$10.88 £8.16

10.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 £2.41

$2.55 £1.91

25.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 £3.40

$3.15 £2.36

43.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 £1.72

$2.68 £2.01

-14.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 £4.18

$4.42 £3.31

26.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 £1.97

$2.20 £1.65

19.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.1 £37.56

$30.45 £22.85

64.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.56

$2.04 £1.53

1.47%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$39.2K £29.4K

-0.88%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$40.3K £30.2K

2.01%

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

$338 £253

$252 £189

34.14%

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

$18.82 £14.12

$16.62 £12.47

13.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.52 £30.40

$40.61 £30.47

-0.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.19 £12.90

$13.26 £9.95

29.64%

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

$2,564 £1,924

$1,252 £939

104.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K £26.4K

$19.9K £14.9K

76.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 £67.6

$84.2 £63.2

7.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.56 £34.93

$42.72 £32.05

8.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 £69.0

$92.2 £69.2

-0.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 £96.6

$106 £79.8

21.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 £1,488

$1,789 £1,342

10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 £1,213

$1,242 £932

30.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,261 £2,446

$3,014 £2,261

8.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,847 £2,136

$1,961 £1,471

45.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K £10.7K

$4,552 £3,415

212.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.4K £10.8K

$4,349 £3,262

231.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,685 £2,015

$3,460 £2,596

-22.40%

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 Barnet: October 20, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnet

$1.6K 55%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 23.1% $374

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnet

$397 13.5%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 22.2% $88

Eating Out

Barnet

$362 12.3%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 11.5% $42

Groceries & Markets

Barnet

$343 11.7%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 12.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Barnet

$161 5.5%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barnet

$34 * 1.2%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 137% $47

Getting Around

Barnet

$28 * 1%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 372% $104

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,984 in Barnet versus $1,789 in Manchester. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Manchester, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Barnet versus $87.0 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $301 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Barnet

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

Same time as Barnet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,973

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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Highest

Between locations

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Barnet
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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

Barnet vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barnet is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,412 per month in Barnet and $3,798 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manchester, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Barnet and $87.0 in Manchester. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Barnet, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,941 in Barnet and $2,532 in Manchester. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Manchester – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Manchester. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barnet makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.