Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Durham: $2,073 a month against $2,563 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,073 in Durham versus $2,563 in Manchester.

Durham $2,073
Manchester $2,563

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,286 in Durham versus $3,739 in Manchester.

Durham $3,286
Manchester $3,739

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,498 in Durham versus $4,915 in Manchester.

Durham $4,498
Manchester $4,915

Living in Durham costs roughly 19% less than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durham 55% above, Manchester 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 £14.79

$19.48 £14.72

0.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.4 £70.6

$86.9 £65.7

7.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 £8.61

$10.57 £7.98

7.85%

Cappuccino

$4.56 £3.44

$4.78 £3.61

-4.60%

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

$2.54 £1.92

$2.52 £1.90

0.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.60 £1.21

27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 £4.59

$7.87 £5.95

-22.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.03

$6.73 £5.08

-20.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.49 £1.12

30.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.17

$1.95 £1.47

-21.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.93 £1.46

56.99%

Eggs

$4.37 £3.30

$3.99 £3.02

9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 £7.57

$9.54 £7.21

5.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 £6.69

$8.95 £6.77

-1.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 £16.13

$15.26 £11.53

39.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.21

$3.04 £2.29

-3.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 £1.91

$1.58 £1.19

60.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 £2.08

$3.01 £2.28

-8.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 £3.84

$3.47 £2.62

46.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.18

$1.49 £1.13

4.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.29

$1.30 £0.98

30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.80

$1.21 £0.91

-12.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.42

$1.27 £0.96

48.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.61 £17.84

$23.04 £17.41

2.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 £8.04

$10.84 £8.19

-1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.50

$2.42 £1.83

36.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.38

$3.03 £2.29

3.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 £2.44

$2.57 £1.94

25.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.9 £65.7

$104 £78.7

-16.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 £4.83

$4.49 £3.39

42.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$2.08 £1.57

-7.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 £17.89

$29.72 £22.46

-20.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.42

$2.11 £1.59

-10.90%

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

$37.8K £28.6K

$38.8K £29.3K

-2.53%

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

$41.1K £31.1K

$40.2K £30.4K

2.25%

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

$265 £200

$243 £184

8.65%

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

$15.21 £11.49

$16.52 £12.48

-7.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.95 £32.45

$39.77 £30.05

8.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.78 £35.35

$56.6 £42.74

-17.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 £13.63

Cinema Ticket

$12.51 £9.45

$13.05 £9.86

-4.14%

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

$1,300 £982

$1,246 £941

4.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £19.1K

$19.9K £15.1K

26.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £80.3

$83.4 £63.0

27.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 £53.9

$42.34 £32.00

68.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 £86.1

$94.3 £71.3

20.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £73.5

$103 £77.8

-5.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,539 £1,163

$1,832 £1,384

-15.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 £562

$1,238 £935

-39.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 £2,011

$3,095 £2,339

-14.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 £1,183

$2,006 £1,516

-21.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,034 £3,804

$4,607 £3,481

9.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,919

$4,481 £3,386

-13.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,064 £1,559

$3,438 £2,598

-39.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

4.82

7.47%

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

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durham

$743 35.7%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.4% 66.5% $494

Groceries & Markets

Durham

$348 16.7%

Manchester

$298 11.9% 14.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham

$323 15.5%

Manchester

$300 12% 7.1% $23

Eating Out

Durham

$305 14.6%

Manchester

$314 12.5% 3.1% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Durham

$175 8.4%

Manchester

$145 5.8% 16.9% $30

Getting Around

Durham

$116 5.6%

Manchester

$129 5.2% 11.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Durham

$72 3.5%

Manchester

$83 3.3% 15.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,539 in Durham and $1,832 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 67% 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: $93.0 in Durham vs $87.0 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $298 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Durham

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

Same time as Durham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,100

503,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Durham Manchester 150 km

From you

Durham
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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

Durham vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durham and Manchester differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,073 vs $2,563 including rent). Durham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Manchester. 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: $1,539 in Durham versus $1,832 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,073 per month in Durham versus $2,563 in Manchester – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Durham runs roughly 20% less than in Manchester. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Durham 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, Durham 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 Durham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.