Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Manchester Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Manchester

😐 Solo nomad: Cambridge is 6.9% more expensive than Manchester without rent, and 15.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cambridge is 6.2% more expensive than Manchester without rent, and 13% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cambridge
Manchester
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.26 £20.06
$20.43 £15.04
33.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$96.6 £71.1
$95.8 £70.5
0.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.08 £8.15
$10.68 £7.86
3.75%
Cappuccino
$4.84 £3.56
$5.05 £3.72
-4.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 £2.08
$2.57 £1.89
9.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 £1.51
$1.73 £1.28
18.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.28 £6.1
$7.26 £5.34
14.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.24 £6.06
$7.48 £5.51
10.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cambridge
Manchester
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.93 £1.42
$1.63 £1.2
18.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.26 £1.66
$1.72 £1.26
31.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.82 £2.08
$2.17 £1.6
29.95%
Eggs
$4.83 £3.55
$3.89 £2.86
24.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.64 £9.3
$12.14 £8.93
4.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.08 £7.42
$9.7 £7.14
3.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 £12.98
$16.94 £12.46
4.13%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 £2.4
$3.3 £2.43
-1.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.99 £1.46
$1.87 £1.37
6.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.56 £2.62
$3.95 £2.91
-9.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.69 £2.72
$4.35 £3.2
-15.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 £1.41
$2.14 £1.58
-10.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.04 £1.5
$1.81 £1.33
12.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 £0.97
$1.31 £0.97
0.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 £1.13
$1.5 £1.1
2.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.36 £14.98
$18.67 £13.74
9.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.11 £8.91
$10.44 £7.68
16.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.47 £2.55
$2.58 £1.9
34.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.1 £3.02
$3.46 £2.54
18.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Cambridge
Manchester
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.68 £1.97
$2.74 £2.02
-2.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$82.8 £61
$123 £90.2
-32.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.86 £5.05
$5.3 £3.9
29.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.56 £1.88
$2.92 £2.15
-12.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$54.6 £40.17
$33.89 £24.94
61.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 £1.44
$1.88 £1.38
4.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K £28.1K
$38.3K £28.2K
-0.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.1K £31.7K
$40.9K £30.1K
5.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cambridge
Manchester
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$339 £250
$293 £215
15.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.89 £11.69
$22.46 £16.53
-29.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.92 £28.64
$43.09 £31.71
-9.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cambridge
Manchester
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.9 £55.1
$41.03 £30.19
82.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.52 £10.69
$15.53 £11.43
-6.50%
Cinema Ticket
$15.99 £11.77
$13.75 £10.12
16.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cambridge
Manchester
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,260 £1,663
$1,981 £1,458
14.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.6K £16.7K
$20.6K £15.2K
9.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cambridge
Manchester
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.5 £63.7
$91.8 £67.5
-5.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57 £41.93
$41.44 £30.49
37.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.7 £64.5
$87.9 £64.7
-0.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 £90.7
$106 £78
16.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cambridge
Manchester
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,934 £1,423
$1,595 £1,174
21.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,606 £1,182
$1,267 £932
26.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,506 £2,580
$2,742 £2,018
27.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,565 £1,888
$2,072 £1,525
23.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,658 £6,371
$5,685 £4,184
52.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,545 £4,817
$3,908 £2,876
67.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cambridge
Manchester
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,760 £2,767
$3,332 £2,452
12.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
5.92
-6.42%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 28, 2025

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

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