Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bath and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $3,015 in Bath, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Bath
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Bath Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Bath

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,015

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,015 in Bath versus $2,499 in Manchester.

Bath $3,015
Manchester $2,499

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,322 in Bath versus $3,623 in Manchester.

Bath $4,322
Manchester $3,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,628 in Bath versus $4,747 in Manchester.

Bath $5,628
Manchester $4,747

Living in Bath is roughly 21% more expensive than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bath 122% above, Manchester 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.49 £17.54

$20.22 £15.10

16.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 £73.7

$86.0 £64.2

14.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 £7.91

$10.74 £8.02

-1.40%

Cappuccino

$5.22 £3.90

$4.68 £3.49

11.54%

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

$2.58 £1.92

$2.44 £1.82

5.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.62 £1.21

12.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 £5.93

$7.78 £5.81

2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 £5.08

$6.70 £5.00

1.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.51 £1.12

0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.88 £1.41

-11.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 £1.52

$1.94 £1.45

5.15%

Eggs

$4.28 £3.20

$4.08 £3.04

4.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 £6.07

$9.61 £7.17

-15.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 £7.34

$8.98 £6.71

9.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.87 £9.61

$15.41 £11.51

-16.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 £3.21

$3.09 £2.31

39.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.58 £1.18

9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 £2.00

$2.95 £2.20

-9.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 £2.98

$3.35 £2.50

19.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 £1.51

$1.51 £1.13

33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 £1.30

$1.35 £1.01

29.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.26 £0.94

-4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.23 £0.92

61.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.21 £17.33

$24.05 £17.95

-3.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.84 £8.10

$10.88 £8.13

-0.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 £2.16

$2.43 £1.81

18.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 £2.46

$3.17 £2.36

4.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 £2.65

$2.73 £2.04

29.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 £98.8

$108 £80.6

22.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 £2.51

$4.52 £3.37

-25.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.22 £1.66

-26.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.57 £19.84

$30.82 £23.01

-13.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.14 £1.60

-2.80%

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

$39.4K £29.4K

$38.5K £28.7K

2.51%

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

$40.8K £30.4K

$40.0K £29.9K

1.76%

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

$290 £217

$252 £189

15.03%

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

$19.69 £14.70

$16.23 £12.12

21.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.19 £29.26

$39.58 £29.56

-0.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.02 £35.85

$42.67 £31.86

12.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.16 £15.06

$18.05 £13.48

11.69%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 £11.48

$13.44 £10.04

14.43%

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

$2,210 £1,650

$1,494 £1,116

47.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$19.7K £14.7K

29.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.0 £61.2

$83.5 £62.4

-1.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.58 £23.58

$42.97 £32.09

-26.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 £74.7

$95.0 £70.9

5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 £64.0

$106 £79.1

-19.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,037 £1,521

$1,785 £1,333

14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 £1,215

$1,222 £913

33.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,876 £2,894

$2,930 £2,188

32.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 £1,888

$1,899 £1,418

33.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,712 £5,758

$4,668 £3,486

65.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,359 £4,001

$4,397 £3,283

21.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,618 £2,701

$3,395 £2,535

6.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

4.82

6.02%

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

Last update for Bath: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bath

$1.6K 54%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 24.9% $406

Eating Out

Bath

$353 11.7%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 9.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bath

$349 11.6%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 11.7% $41

Groceries & Markets

Bath

$313 10.4%

Manchester

$299 12% 4.6% $14

Getting Around

Bath

$158 5.2%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 15% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Bath

$135 4.5%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 9.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bath

$79 2.6%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 11.7% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,037 in Bath and $1,785 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bath pays 7% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $99 in Bath vs $86 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $299 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bath

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

Same time as Bath

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,859

503,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Bath Manchester 230 km

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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

Bath vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Bath, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,037 in Bath versus $1,785 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,015 per month in Bath versus $2,499 in Manchester – Manchester is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Manchester runs roughly 18% less than in Bath. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Manchester gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Bath. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.