Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brighton and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,544 a month against $2,942 in Brighton, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Brighton
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Brighton Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Brighton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,942

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,942 in Brighton versus $2,544 in Manchester.

Brighton $2,942
Manchester $2,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,181 in Brighton versus $3,691 in Manchester.

Brighton $4,181
Manchester $3,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,419 in Brighton versus $4,839 in Manchester.

Brighton $5,419
Manchester $4,839

Living in Brighton is roughly 16% more expensive than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brighton 118% above, Manchester 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.55 £19.17

$19.64 £14.74

30.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.3 £71.5

$87.7 £65.8

8.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.69 £7.27

$10.47 £7.85

-7.45%

Cappuccino

$5.23 £3.92

$4.85 £3.64

7.84%

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

$3.95 £2.96

$2.49 £1.87

58.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 £2.46

$1.68 £1.26

95.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.92 £6.69

$7.75 £5.81

15.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.31 £6.99

$6.72 £5.04

38.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.43 £1.07

34.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.94 £1.45

5.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.87 £1.40

11.76%

Eggs

$4.35 £3.27

$3.97 £2.98

9.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.72 £8.79

$9.40 £7.05

24.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 £6.88

$9.02 £6.77

1.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 £11.20

$15.39 £11.55

-2.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.09 £2.32

-2.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.58 £1.19

21.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$3.03 £2.28

-1.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 £2.73

$3.37 £2.52

8.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.56 £1.17

35.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.36 £1.02

33.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.20 £0.90

-2.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.27 £0.95

34.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.81 £17.86

$23.80 £17.85

0.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 £8.36

$11.11 £8.34

0.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.50 £1.88

20.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 £2.35

$3.12 £2.34

0.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.98

$2.67 £2.00

49.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$127 £95.4

$104 £77.8

22.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 £3.79

$4.51 £3.39

11.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 £2.01

$2.18 £1.64

22.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.01 £29.26

$29.56 £22.18

31.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 £1.61

$2.11 £1.58

1.90%

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

$38.3K £28.7K

$37.5K £28.1K

2.32%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$40.3K £30.2K

-1.16%

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

$286 £214

$250 £188

14.25%

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

$16.41 £12.31

$16.38 £12.29

0.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.94 £33.72

$40.35 £30.27

11.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 £38.27

$55.5 £41.65

-8.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.55 £20.67

$18.33 £13.75

50.30%

Cinema Ticket

$17.57 £13.18

$13.11 £9.84

34.02%

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

$2,053 £1,540

$1,240 £930

65.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.8K £22.4K

$19.5K £14.6K

53.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 £67.1

$84.5 £63.4

5.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.65 £33.50

$41.39 £31.05

7.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.7

$91.6 £68.7

13.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 £66.1

$103 £77.6

-14.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,895 £1,421

$1,827 £1,371

3.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 £1,115

$1,267 £950

17.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,863 £2,148

$3,044 £2,284

-5.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,185 £1,639

$1,983 £1,488

10.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,414 £6,312

$4,537 £3,403

85.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,196 £4,648

$4,324 £3,244

43.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,403 £2,553

$3,329 £2,498

2.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

4.82

6.22%

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

Last update for Brighton: October 13, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brighton

$1.5K 50.5%

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8% 14.8% $219

Eating Out

Brighton

$388 13.2%

Manchester

$316 12.4% 18.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brighton

$347 11.8%

Manchester

$307 12.1% 11.6% $40

Groceries & Markets

Brighton

$327 11.1%

Manchester

$299 11.8% 8.6% $28

Getting Around

Brighton

$161 5.5%

Manchester

$130 5.1% 19.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Brighton

$147 5%

Manchester

$144 5.7% 1.5% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Brighton

$86 2.9%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 5.1% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,895 in Brighton and $1,827 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brighton pays 2% 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: $95.0 in Brighton vs $88.0 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $299 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Brighton

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Brighton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

256,000

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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Brighton Manchester 330 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

Brighton vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brighton and Manchester differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,942 vs $2,544 including rent). Manchester is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Brighton, 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: $1,895 in Brighton versus $1,827 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,053 in Brighton versus $1,240 in Manchester. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Brighton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Manchester is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Brighton and Manchester are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Manchester gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Brighton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.