Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnsley and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Barnsley: $1,892 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Barnsley
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Barnsley Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Barnsley

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,892

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,892 per month in Barnsley vs $2,532 in Manchester, rent included.

Barnsley $1,892
Manchester $2,532

A couple spends around $2,842 per month in Barnsley vs $3,686 in Manchester, rent included.

Barnsley $2,842
Manchester $3,686

A family of three spends $3,792 per month in Barnsley vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Barnsley $3,792
Manchester $4,839

Barnsley is about 25% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Barnsley and Manchester sit above the global median – Barnsley by 40%, Manchester by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.36 £18.28

$20.23 £15.18

20.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 £62.9

$87.1 £65.3

-3.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 £7.89

$10.83 £8.12

-2.86%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

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

$2.39 £1.79

$2.44 £1.83

-2.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.62 £1.21

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 £4.46

$7.82 £5.87

-24.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 £5.01

$6.48 £4.86

3.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.45 £1.09

17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.95 £1.47

-4.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.86 £1.40

8.06%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.00

$4.05 £3.04

-1.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.71 £6.53

$9.76 £7.32

-10.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.38 £6.28

$9.11 £6.83

-8.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.58 £10.94

$15.52 £11.64

-6.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$3.20 £2.40

-6.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.52 £1.14

26.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$3.02 £2.26

-13.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$3.34 £2.51

-11.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.55 £1.17

22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.30 £0.98

24.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.22 £0.92

23.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 £1.09

$1.28 £0.96

14.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.72 £17.80

$23.68 £17.77

0.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 £8.52

$10.88 £8.16

4.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 £2.59

$2.55 £1.91

35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 £2.47

$3.15 £2.36

4.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.96

$2.68 £2.01

-2.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.24 £3.93

$4.42 £3.31

18.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 £1.04

$2.20 £1.65

-37.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.06 £14.30

$30.45 £22.85

-37.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$2.04 £1.53

-2.45%

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

$38.3K £28.8K

$39.2K £29.4K

-2.13%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$40.3K £30.2K

1.31%

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

$283 £213

$252 £189

12.61%

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

$20.34 £15.26

$16.62 £12.47

22.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.95 £32.97

$40.61 £30.47

8.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 £50.4

$55.1 £41.32

22.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 £9.51

$13.26 £9.95

-4.37%

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

$1,486 £1,115

$1,252 £939

18.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K £12.3K

$19.9K £14.9K

-17.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.0 £45.04

$84.2 £63.2

-28.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.02 £30.77

$42.72 £32.05

-3.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 £69.6

$92.2 £69.2

0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 £59.8

$106 £79.8

-25.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 £691

$1,789 £1,342

-48.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$660 £495

$1,242 £932

-46.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 £1,010

$3,014 £2,261

-55.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 £826

$1,961 £1,471

-43.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,966 £2,225

$3,460 £2,596

-14.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.61

4.82

16.39%

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

Last update for Barnsley: October 17, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnsley

$660 34.9%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 88.1% $582

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnsley

$348 18.4%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 11.2% $39

Eating Out

Barnsley

$343 18.2%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 6.7% $23

Groceries & Markets

Barnsley

$302 16%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 0.3% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Barnsley

$123 6.5%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 19% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barnsley

$93 4.9%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 11.9% $11

Getting Around

Barnsley

$23 * 1.2%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 482% $109

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $921 in Barnsley 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 17% higher in Manchester, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Barnsley versus $87.0 in Manchester. Groceries tell a different story – $302 in Barnsley vs $301 in Manchester – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Barnsley

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

Same time as Barnsley

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

245,199

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

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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

Barnsley vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,838 per month in Barnsley 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 Barnsley, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,892 in Barnsley and $2,532 in Manchester. That's a gap of about 34%.

Kindergarten costs $1,486 per month in Barnsley and $1,252 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Barnsley, where all-in costs run around $1,892, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Barnsley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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