Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunfermline and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunfermline: $2,047 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Dunfermline
Learn more

Dunfermline Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index

Jump to prices

Dunfermline

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,047

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,047 in Dunfermline versus $2,499 in Manchester.

Dunfermline $2,047
Manchester $2,499

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,016 in Dunfermline versus $3,623 in Manchester.

Dunfermline $3,016
Manchester $3,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,986 in Dunfermline versus $4,747 in Manchester.

Dunfermline $3,986
Manchester $4,747

Living in Dunfermline costs roughly 18% less than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunfermline 50% above, Manchester 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 £15.05

$20.22 £15.10

-0.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 £59.1

$86.0 £64.2

-8.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 £7.16

$10.74 £8.02

-10.71%

Cappuccino

$4.37 £3.26

$4.68 £3.49

-6.62%

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

$2.49 £1.86

$2.44 £1.82

2.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 £0.98

$1.62 £1.21

-18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 £4.25

$7.78 £5.81

-26.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 £4.46

$6.70 £5.00

-10.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.43

$1.51 £1.12

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 £0.92

$1.88 £1.41

-34.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 £1.78

$1.94 £1.45

23.20%

Eggs

$4.12 £3.07

$4.08 £3.04

0.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 £5.61

$9.61 £7.17

-21.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 £6.37

$8.98 £6.71

-4.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 £7.52

$15.41 £11.51

-34.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 £1.77

$3.09 £2.31

-23.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 £0.95

$1.58 £1.18

-18.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 £2.15

$2.95 £2.20

-2.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 £2.04

$3.35 £2.50

-18.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 £0.85

$1.51 £1.13

-25.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.35 £1.01

-0.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.26 £0.94

-0.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.23 £0.92

32.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.46 £17.52

$24.05 £17.95

-2.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.06 £8.26

$10.88 £8.13

1.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$2.43 £1.81

-9.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 £1.85

$3.17 £2.36

-21.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.17 £2.37

$2.73 £2.04

16.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 £57.8

$108 £80.6

-28.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 £3.43

$4.52 £3.37

1.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.82 £2.85

$2.22 £1.66

72.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.40 £15.23

$30.82 £23.01

-33.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.46

$2.14 £1.60

-8.41%

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

$37.6K £28.1K

$38.5K £28.7K

-2.26%

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

$39.3K £29.4K

$40.0K £29.9K

-1.82%

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

$238 £178

$252 £189

-5.74%

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

$13.31 £9.94

$16.23 £12.12

-17.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.35 £31.62

$39.58 £29.56

7.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.25 £36.03

$42.67 £31.86

13.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 £9.00

$18.05 £13.48

-33.24%

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 £10.05

$13.44 £10.04

0.22%

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

$1,407 £1,050

$1,494 £1,116

-5.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K £14.3K

$19.7K £14.7K

-3.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 £39.44

$83.5 £62.4

-36.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 £40.08

$42.97 £32.09

24.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 £74.9

$95.0 £70.9

5.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 £66.4

$106 £79.1

-16.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 £754

$1,785 £1,333

-43.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 £647

$1,222 £913

-29.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 £953

$2,930 £2,188

-56.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 £1,027

$1,899 £1,418

-27.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,029 £1,515

$4,668 £3,486

-56.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,726 £2,035

$4,397 £3,283

-38.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,006 £2,245

$3,395 £2,535

-11.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

4.82

12.03%

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

Last update for Dunfermline: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunfermline

$867 42.4%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 41.1% $356

Eating Out

Dunfermline

$298 14.6%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 6.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunfermline

$294 14.4%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 5% $15

Groceries & Markets

Dunfermline

$266 13%

Manchester

$299 12% 12.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Dunfermline

$133 6.5%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 10.7% $14

Getting Around

Dunfermline

$114 5.6%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 18.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Dunfermline

$75 3.7%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 7.5% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,009 in Dunfermline and $1,785 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 13% 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: $79 in Dunfermline vs $86 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $299 per month, with Dunfermline cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Dunfermline

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

Same time as Dunfermline

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,000

503,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dunfermline Manchester 300 km

From you

Dunfermline
Manchester

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

Dunfermline vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunfermline wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Manchester. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dunfermline the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Dunfermline. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,009 in Dunfermline versus $1,785 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunfermline runs roughly 28% less than in Manchester. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,407 in Dunfermline versus $1,494 in Manchester. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Dunfermline 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.

Expats usually find Dunfermline gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.