Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Manchester Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Manchester

😐 Solo nomad: Edinburgh is 4.1% more expensive than Manchester without rent, and 0.1% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Edinburgh is 2.3% more expensive than Manchester without rent, and 2.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Edinburgh
Manchester
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.24 £14.89
$20.43 £15.04
-0.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 £73.7
$95.8 £70.5
4.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.86 £7.25
$10.68 £7.86
-7.68%
Cappuccino
$5.41 £3.98
$5.05 £3.72
7.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 £1.93
$2.57 £1.89
1.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 £1.43
$1.73 £1.28
12.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.3 £5.37
$7.26 £5.34
0.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.92 £5.09
$7.48 £5.51
-7.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Edinburgh
Manchester
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 £1.24
$1.63 £1.2
3.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.74 £1.28
$1.72 £1.26
1.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 £1.6
$2.17 £1.6
-
Eggs
$4.2 £3.09
$3.89 £2.86
7.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.93 £8.78
$12.14 £8.93
-1.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.34 £7.61
$9.7 £7.14
6.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.84 £13.86
$16.94 £12.46
11.22%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 £2.4
$3.3 £2.43
-1.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 £1.13
$1.87 £1.37
-18.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.09 £3.01
$3.95 £2.91
3.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.65 £3.42
$4.35 £3.2
6.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.76 £1.3
$2.14 £1.58
-17.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.42 £1.04
$1.81 £1.33
-21.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 £0.9
$1.31 £0.97
-6.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 £1
$1.5 £1.1
-9.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.18 £14.85
$18.67 £13.74
8.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.69 £7.86
$10.44 £7.68
2.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.58 £1.9
$2.58 £1.9
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.4 £2.5
$3.46 £2.54
-1.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Edinburgh
Manchester
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.65 £1.95
$2.74 £2.02
-3.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.3 £66.5
$123 £90.2
-26.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.53 £4.07
$5.3 £3.9
4.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.09 £2.27
$2.92 £2.15
5.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$43.29 £31.85
$33.89 £24.94
27.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.95 £1.44
$1.88 £1.38
3.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.5K £28.3K
$38.3K £28.2K
0.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K £28.9K
$40.9K £30.1K
-4.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edinburgh
Manchester
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$371 £273
$293 £215
26.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.29 £12.73
$22.46 £16.53
-23.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.45 £32.71
$43.09 £31.71
3.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Edinburgh
Manchester
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.2 £39.9
$41.03 £30.19
32.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.52 £18.05
$15.53 £11.43
57.89%
Cinema Ticket
$14.71 £10.82
$13.75 £10.12
6.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Edinburgh
Manchester
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,940 £1,427
$1,981 £1,458
-2.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24K £17.7K
$20.6K £15.2K
16.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Edinburgh
Manchester
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$118 £86.7
$91.8 £67.5
28.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 £41.03
$41.44 £30.49
34.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 £86.2
$87.9 £64.7
33.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 £91
$106 £78
16.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Edinburgh
Manchester
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,643 £1,209
$1,595 £1,174
3.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,210 £890
$1,267 £932
-4.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,043 £2,239
$2,742 £2,018
10.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,150 £1,582
$2,072 £1,525
3.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,826 £5,023
$5,685 £4,184
20.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,713 £3,469
$3,908 £2,876
20.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Edinburgh
Manchester
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,668 £2,699
$3,332 £2,452
10.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.63
5.92
-4.90%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 28, 2025

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

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