Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buckingham and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Buckingham: $2,219 a month against $2,544 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Buckingham
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Buckingham Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Buckingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,219

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,219 in Buckingham versus $2,544 in Manchester.

Buckingham $2,219
Manchester $2,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,265 in Buckingham versus $3,691 in Manchester.

Buckingham $3,265
Manchester $3,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,311 in Buckingham versus $4,839 in Manchester.

Buckingham $4,311
Manchester $4,839

Living in Buckingham costs roughly 13% less than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buckingham 64% above, Manchester 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 £15.03

$19.64 £14.74

1.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 £59.2

$87.7 £65.8

-10.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 £7.83

$10.47 £7.85

-0.29%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.45

$4.85 £3.64

-5.15%

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

$2.05 £1.54

$2.49 £1.87

-17.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.68 £1.26

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 £4.09

$7.75 £5.81

-29.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 £3.39

$6.72 £5.04

-32.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.43 £1.07

5.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.94 £1.45

-8.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$1.87 £1.40

50.80%

Eggs

$4.04 £3.03

$3.97 £2.98

1.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 £6.82

$9.40 £7.05

-3.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 £5.79

$9.02 £6.77

-14.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.42 £12.32

$15.39 £11.55

6.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 £2.47

$3.09 £2.32

6.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.58 £1.19

-2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$3.03 £2.28

-7.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.37 £2.52

-5.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.56 £1.17

-25.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.36 £1.02

27.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.97

$1.20 £0.90

7.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.27 £0.95

6.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.66 £17.75

$23.80 £17.85

-0.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.10 £7.57

$11.11 £8.34

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 £2.36

$2.50 £1.88

25.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$3.12 £2.34

-26.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 £2.53

$2.67 £2.00

26.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.7 £71.1

$104 £77.8

-8.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.18 £3.14

$4.51 £3.39

-7.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$2.18 £1.64

23.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.36 £24.28

$29.56 £22.18

9.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.11 £1.58

-3.32%

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

$38.4K £28.8K

$37.5K £28.1K

2.48%

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

$41.3K £31.0K

$40.3K £30.2K

2.43%

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

$200 £150

$250 £188

-20.06%

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

$17.46 £13.10

$16.38 £12.29

6.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.68 £32.77

$40.35 £30.27

8.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.77 £34.34

$55.5 £41.65

-17.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 £13.75

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 £10.04

$13.11 £9.84

2.06%

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

$1,464 £1,099

$1,240 £930

18.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.5K

$19.5K £14.6K

13.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 £63.2

$84.5 £63.4

-0.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.33 £23.50

$41.39 £31.05

-24.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 £55.3

$91.6 £68.7

-19.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £72.9

$103 £77.6

-6.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 £1,097

$1,827 £1,371

-19.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £777

$1,267 £950

-18.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 £1,579

$3,044 £2,284

-30.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 £1,244

$1,983 £1,488

-16.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,081 £3,812

$4,537 £3,403

12.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 £2,865

$4,324 £3,244

-11.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,447 £3,336

$3,329 £2,498

33.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.06

4.82

4.98%

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

Last update for Buckingham: October 10, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buckingham

$1K 46.7%

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8% 22.3% $231

Eating Out

Buckingham

$297 13.4%

Manchester

$316 12.4% 6.2% $18

Groceries & Markets

Buckingham

$297 13.4%

Manchester

$299 11.8% 0.6% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buckingham

$261 11.8%

Manchester

$307 12.1% 17.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Buckingham

$129 5.8%

Manchester

$144 5.7% 12% $16

Getting Around

Buckingham

$126 5.7%

Manchester

$130 5.1% 3.1% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Buckingham

$73 3.3%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 12.7% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,462 in Buckingham and $1,827 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Buckingham vs $88.0 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $299 per month, with Buckingham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Buckingham

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

Same time as Buckingham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,890

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

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Between locations

Buckingham Manchester 190 km

From you

Buckingham
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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

Buckingham vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buckingham and Manchester differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,219 vs $2,544 including rent). Buckingham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Buckingham, 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: $1,462 in Buckingham versus $1,827 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,219 per month in Buckingham versus $2,544 in Manchester – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Buckingham runs roughly 9% less than in Manchester. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,219 in Buckingham versus $2,544 in Manchester, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buckingham but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Buckingham 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 Buckingham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.