Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,532 a month against $3,191 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,191

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,191 per month in Cambridge vs $2,532 in Manchester, rent included.

Cambridge $3,191
Manchester $2,532

A couple spends around $4,509 per month in Cambridge vs $3,686 in Manchester, rent included.

Cambridge $4,509
Manchester $3,686

A family of three spends $5,827 per month in Cambridge vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Cambridge $5,827
Manchester $4,839

Cambridge costs about 26% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cambridge and Manchester sit above the global median – Cambridge by 136%, Manchester by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 £16.17

$20.23 £15.18

6.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 £66.4

$87.1 £65.3

1.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

Cappuccino

$4.49 £3.37

$4.81 £3.61

-6.65%

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

$2.79 £2.09

$2.44 £1.83

14.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.62 £1.21

16.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 £5.93

$7.82 £5.87

1.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.91

$6.48 £4.86

0.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.45 £1.09

13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$1.95 £1.47

-8.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 £1.87

$1.86 £1.40

33.87%

Eggs

$4.53 £3.40

$4.05 £3.04

11.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 £7.45

$9.76 £7.32

1.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 £7.07

$9.11 £6.83

3.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.44 £11.59

$15.52 £11.64

-0.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$3.20 £2.40

-7.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.52 £1.14

13.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 £2.77

$3.02 £2.26

22.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.34 £2.51

1.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.38

$1.55 £1.17

18.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.30 £0.98

45.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.22 £0.92

1.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.28 £0.96

52.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.36 £16.77

$23.68 £17.77

-5.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.97 £8.23

$10.88 £8.16

0.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.55 £1.91

28.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 £3.11

$3.15 £2.36

31.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.68 £2.01

51.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 £71.3

$105 £79.1

-9.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 £5.82

$4.42 £3.31

75.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 £2.02

$2.20 £1.65

22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.9 £38.18

$30.45 £22.85

67.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.04 £1.53

1.47%

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

$37.9K £28.4K

$39.2K £29.4K

-3.34%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$40.3K £30.2K

2.00%

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

$345 £258

$252 £189

36.89%

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

$18.37 £13.78

$16.62 £12.47

10.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.78 £32.10

$40.61 £30.47

5.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 £49.09

$55.1 £41.32

18.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 £15.48

$18.02 £13.52

14.48%

Cinema Ticket

$17.15 £12.86

$13.26 £9.95

29.34%

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

$2,590 £1,943

$1,252 £939

106.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K £26.9K

$19.9K £14.9K

80.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 £67.8

$84.2 £63.2

7.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 £35.82

$42.72 £32.05

11.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 £68.6

$92.2 £69.2

-0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.5

$106 £79.8

19.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 £1,587

$1,789 £1,342

18.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 £1,302

$1,242 £932

39.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,193 £2,396

$3,014 £2,261

5.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 £2,021

$1,961 £1,471

37.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,107 £6,832

$4,552 £3,415

100.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,803 £4,353

$4,349 £3,262

33.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,405 £3,305

$3,460 £2,596

27.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

4.82

4.56%

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

Last update for Cambridge: 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

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 28.4% $494

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$406 12.7%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 23.9% $97

Eating Out

Cambridge

$330 10.3%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 3% $9.8

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$327 10.2%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 7.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$161 5%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 8.8% $14

Getting Around

Cambridge

$133 4.2%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$100 3.1%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 18.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,115 in Cambridge 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 27% higher in Cambridge, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Cambridge versus $87.0 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $301 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

12:37 12:37 PM

Same time as Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,818

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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Between locations

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From you

Cambridge
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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

Cambridge vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,787 per month in Cambridge 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 Manchester, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Cambridge and $87.0 in Manchester. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,191 in Cambridge and $2,532 in Manchester. That's a gap of about 26%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,191 in Cambridge and $2,532 in Manchester. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Manchester – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Manchester. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cambridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.