Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birmingham and Manchester

For one person, living costs are similar in Birmingham and in Manchester: $2,525 and $2,532 a month, rent and utilities included.

122

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham
Learn more

Birmingham Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index

Jump to prices

Birmingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,525

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,525 per month in Birmingham vs $2,532 in Manchester, rent included.

Birmingham $2,525
Manchester $2,532

A couple spends around $3,687 per month in Birmingham vs $3,686 in Manchester, rent included.

Birmingham $3,687
Manchester $3,686

A family of three spends $4,848 per month in Birmingham vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Birmingham $4,848
Manchester $4,839

Birmingham and Manchester have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Birmingham and Manchester sit above the global median – Birmingham by 86%, Manchester by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.40 £15.30

$20.23 £15.18

0.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £75.6

$87.1 £65.3

15.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 £6.92

$10.83 £8.12

-14.77%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.76

$4.81 £3.61

4.37%

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

$2.61 £1.96

$2.44 £1.83

6.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.62 £1.21

16.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.44 £5.58

$7.82 £5.87

-4.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.90

$6.48 £4.86

0.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.45 £1.09

31.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.95 £1.47

-4.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 £1.98

$1.86 £1.40

42.47%

Eggs

$3.96 £2.97

$4.05 £3.04

-2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 £6.82

$9.76 £7.32

-6.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 £6.65

$9.11 £6.83

-2.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 £11.17

$15.52 £11.64

-4.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 £1.92

$3.20 £2.40

-19.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.52 £1.14

15.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 £1.85

$3.02 £2.26

-18.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.68

$3.34 £2.51

6.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.55 £1.17

5.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 £1.38

$1.30 £0.98

41.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £0.99

$1.22 £0.92

9.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.28 £0.96

24.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.79 £16.35

$23.68 £17.77

-7.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 £8.93

$10.88 £8.16

9.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.58 £2.69

$2.55 £1.91

40.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 £2.46

$3.15 £2.36

4.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.92

$2.68 £2.01

45.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.4 £69.4

$105 £79.1

-12.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 £3.77

$4.42 £3.31

13.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 £1.83

$2.20 £1.65

10.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.06 £18.05

$30.45 £22.85

-20.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$2.04 £1.53

3.43%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$39.2K £29.4K

-2.66%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$40.3K £30.2K

0.85%

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

$327 £246

$252 £189

30.06%

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

$21.06 £15.80

$16.62 £12.47

26.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.61 £35.72

$40.61 £30.47

17.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.44 £28.84

$55.1 £41.32

-30.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.21 £22.66

$18.02 £13.52

67.65%

Cinema Ticket

$16.05 £12.04

$13.26 £9.95

21.04%

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

$1,638 £1,229

$1,252 £939

30.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K £17.9K

$19.9K £14.9K

20.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £79.9

$84.2 £63.2

26.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.88 £36.67

$42.72 £32.05

14.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 £88.9

$92.2 £69.2

28.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 £109

$106 £79.8

37.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 £1,063

$1,789 £1,342

-20.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 £835

$1,242 £932

-10.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 £1,608

$3,014 £2,261

-28.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 £1,291

$1,961 £1,471

-12.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,444 £4,084

$4,552 £3,415

19.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,211 £3,160

$4,349 £3,262

-3.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,534 £3,401

$3,460 £2,596

31.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

4.82

5.60%

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

Last update for Birmingham: October 18, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birmingham

$1.1K 44.1%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 11.6% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birmingham

$396 15.7%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 22% $87

Eating Out

Birmingham

$319 12.7%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 0.3% $1

Groceries & Markets

Birmingham

$313 12.4%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 3.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Birmingham

$189 7.5%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 22.4% $42

Getting Around

Birmingham

$125 5%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 5.1% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Birmingham

$71 2.8%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 15.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,417 in Birmingham 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 31% higher in Birmingham. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Birmingham versus $87.0 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $301 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Birmingham

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Birmingham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,036,878

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Birmingham Manchester 110 km

From you

Birmingham
Manchester

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

Birmingham vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,788 per month in Birmingham 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 Birmingham, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Manchester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Kindergarten costs $1,638 per month in Birmingham and $1,252 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,525 in Birmingham and $2,532 in Manchester. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Manchester has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,525 in Birmingham to $2,532 in Manchester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Birmingham. 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.