Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,499 in Manchester, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Manchester $2,499

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,623 in Manchester, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Manchester $3,623

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,747 in Manchester, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Manchester $4,747

Edinburgh costs about 6% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Manchester sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Manchester by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.32

$20.22 £15.22

20.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £79.2

$86.0 £64.7

22.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.88

$10.74 £8.08

-2.51%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.78

$4.68 £3.52

7.26%

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

$2.41 £1.82

$2.44 £1.84

-1.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.65

$1.62 £1.22

35.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.05

$7.78 £5.85

3.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.95

$6.70 £5.04

18.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.51 £1.13

15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.75

$1.88 £1.42

23.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.94 £1.46

21.13%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.86

$4.08 £3.07

25.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.81

$9.61 £7.23

-5.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.97

$8.98 £6.76

3.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.17

$15.41 £11.60

4.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.09 £2.33

-1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.58 £1.19

18.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.52

$2.95 £2.22

13.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.83

$3.35 £2.52

11.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.51 £1.14

35.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.35 £1.01

13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.26 £0.95

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.23 £0.93

53.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.96

$24.05 £18.10

-0.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.25

$10.88 £8.19

0.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.37

$2.43 £1.83

30.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$3.17 £2.38

1.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.36

$2.73 £2.06

14.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £75.1

$108 £81.2

-7.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.10

$4.52 £3.40

20.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.43

$2.22 £1.67

-14.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.45

$30.82 £23.20

-7.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$2.14 £1.61

-3.74%

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

$38.2K £28.8K

$38.5K £28.9K

-0.59%

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

$39.7K £29.9K

$40.0K £30.1K

-0.83%

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

$329 £248

$252 £190

30.41%

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

$16.81 £12.65

$16.23 £12.21

3.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.46

$39.58 £29.79

8.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.49

$42.67 £32.12

-1.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.56

$18.05 £13.59

29.25%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £11.04

$13.44 £10.12

9.15%

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

$1,901 £1,430

$1,494 £1,125

27.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.4K

$19.7K £14.8K

30.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.8

$83.5 £62.9

-1.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.63

$42.97 £32.34

16.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.6

$95.0 £71.5

11.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.7

$106 £79.7

8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,273

$1,785 £1,344

-5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £907

$1,222 £920

-1.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,227

$2,930 £2,205

0.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,644

$1,899 £1,429

15.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,807

$4,668 £3,513

36.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,397

$4,397 £3,309

2.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,733

$3,395 £2,555

6.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.82

-1.04%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: 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

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 1.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 20.8% $81

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 11.7% $42

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Manchester

$299 12% 10.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 7.3% $12

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 5.6% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 2.3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,785 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 7% higher in Edinburgh. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $86 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $299 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

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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Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Manchester 280 km

From you

Edinburgh
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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

Edinburgh vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $3,749 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,691 in Edinburgh and $1,785 in Manchester. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh and $86 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 $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,499 in Manchester. That makes Manchester about 6% cheaper.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manchester costs $2,499 versus $2,645 in Edinburgh. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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