Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brainerd, MN and Scunthorpe

For one person, living is cheaper in Scunthorpe: $2,096 a month against $2,445 in Brainerd, MN, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Brainerd, MN
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Brainerd, MN Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Scunthorpe
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Scunthorpe Living Index

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Brainerd, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,445

/mo nomad

Scunthorpe

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brainerd, MN and in Scunthorpe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,445 in Brainerd, MN versus $2,096 in Scunthorpe.

Brainerd, MN $2,445
Scunthorpe $2,096

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,439 in Brainerd, MN versus $2,803 in Scunthorpe.

Brainerd, MN $3,439
Scunthorpe $2,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,433 in Brainerd, MN versus $3,509 in Scunthorpe.

Brainerd, MN $4,433
Scunthorpe $3,509

Living in Brainerd, MN is roughly 17% more expensive than in Scunthorpe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brainerd, MN 81% above, Scunthorpe 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.72 $14.72

$13.30 £9.98

10.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.45 $37.45

$89.0 £66.7

-57.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 $10.12

$10.44 £7.83

-3.07%

Cappuccino

$1.93 $1.93

$3.92 £2.94

-50.77%

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

$2.10 $2.10

$1.84 £1.38

14.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.17 £0.88

70.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$5.36 £4.02

11.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 $6.02

$6.65 £4.99

-9.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.46 £1.10

-33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.50 £1.12

112.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.53 £1.15

122.22%

Eggs

$2.54 $2.54

$3.70 £2.78

-31.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 $9.74

$5.23 £3.92

86.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 $9.71

$5.28 £3.96

83.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$7.09 £5.32

83.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.25 £1.69

118.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.92 £1.44

-40.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$2.47 £1.85

152.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$4.60 £3.45

7.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$0.75 £0.57

409.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$0.89 £0.67

300.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.94 £0.71

112.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.45 £1.09

19.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.06 $12.06

$17.61 £13.21

-31.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 $13.26

$8.11 £6.08

63.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$4.06 £3.04

-57.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$4.73 £3.55

-25.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.51 £2.63

-43.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.39 $40.39

$96.8 £72.6

-58.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$4.61 £3.46

-44.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.70 £2.02

-41.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.90 $30.90

$8.04 £6.04

284.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.05 £1.54

-57.56%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$38.5K £28.9K

-7.15%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$40.7K £30.5K

-37.69%

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

$226 $226

$195 £146

15.79%

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

$44.47 $44.47

$16.37 £12.28

171.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$44.92 £33.70

34.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 $42.14

$92.5 £69.4

-54.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 $8.80

$8.80 £6.61

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

$1,186 $1,186

$1,611 £1,209

-26.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$16.0K £12.0K

74.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.57 $40.57

$38.99 £29.25

4.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.14 $40.14

$20.09 £15.07

99.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 $60.5

$76.6 £57.5

-21.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 $64.4

$78.7 £59.1

-18.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 $1,612

$1,208 £906

33.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$1,027 £770

28.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,516 $2,516

$1,267 £950

98.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 $2,157

$1,080 £810

99.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,373 $2,373

$4,954 £3,716

-52.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,390 $2,390

$3,850 £2,888

-37.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,937 £1,453

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

5.61

12.48%

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

Last update for Brainerd, MN: October 10, 2026

Last update for Scunthorpe: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brainerd, MN

$1.3K 54.1%

Scunthorpe

$1K 49% 22.3% $294

Groceries & Markets

Brainerd, MN

$353 14.4%

Scunthorpe

$241 11.5% 31.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brainerd, MN

$331 13.5%

Scunthorpe

$256 12.2% 22.5% $74

Eating Out

Brainerd, MN

$229 9.4%

Scunthorpe

$237 11.3% 3.3% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Brainerd, MN

$93 3.8%

Scunthorpe

$96 4.6% 4.3% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Brainerd, MN

$60 2.4%

Scunthorpe

$110 5.3% 84.2% $50

Getting Around

Brainerd, MN

$59 2.4%

Scunthorpe

$129 6.2% 119% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,612 in Brainerd, MN and $1,208 in Scunthorpe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37.00 in Brainerd, MN vs $89.0 in Scunthorpe. Groceries flip the comparison at $353 vs $241, with Scunthorpe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brainerd, MN

🇬🇧 Scunthorpe

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

6 h ahead of Brainerd, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,722

81,576

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brainerd, MN Scunthorpe 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Brainerd, MN
Scunthorpe

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

Brainerd, MN vs Scunthorpe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scunthorpe wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Brainerd, MN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Scunthorpe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,668 in Brainerd, MN and $3,145 in Scunthorpe to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,612 in Brainerd, MN versus $1,208 in Scunthorpe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Scunthorpe – a meal for two runs $89.0 versus $37.00 in Brainerd, MN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,445 per month in Brainerd, MN versus $2,096 in Scunthorpe – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,096 in Scunthorpe versus $2,445 in Brainerd, MN, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Scunthorpe but tight or insufficient in Brainerd, MN. The gap between the two cities makes Scunthorpe the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Scunthorpe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Brainerd, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.