Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Exeter and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $2,571 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,571

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,571 in Exeter versus $2,499 in Manchester.

Exeter $2,571
Manchester $2,499

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,846 in Exeter versus $3,623 in Manchester.

Exeter $3,846
Manchester $3,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,121 in Exeter versus $4,747 in Manchester.

Exeter $5,121
Manchester $4,747

Living in Exeter is roughly 3% more expensive than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Exeter 89% above, Manchester 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 £14.88

$20.22 £15.10

-1.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.8 £73.1

$86.0 £64.2

13.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 £7.15

$10.74 £8.02

-10.89%

Cappuccino

$4.96 £3.70

$4.68 £3.49

5.98%

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

$3.17 £2.36

$2.44 £1.82

29.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 £1.87

$1.62 £1.21

54.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.45 £5.57

$7.78 £5.81

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 £4.60

$6.70 £5.00

-8.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.51 £1.12

0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.88 £1.41

-10.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$1.94 £1.45

-8.25%

Eggs

$4.30 £3.21

$4.08 £3.04

5.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 £6.50

$9.61 £7.17

-9.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.71 £6.51

$8.98 £6.71

-3.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.73 £17.72

$15.41 £11.51

53.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 £2.33

$3.09 £2.31

0.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.06

$1.58 £1.18

-9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 £1.73

$2.95 £2.20

-21.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.38

$3.35 £2.50

-4.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 £1.70

$1.51 £1.13

50.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.35 £1.01

45.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.26 £0.94

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.45

$1.23 £0.92

58.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.49 £17.54

$24.05 £17.95

-2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 £7.12

$10.88 £8.13

-12.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 £2.79

$2.43 £1.81

53.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.30

$3.17 £2.36

39.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.93

$2.73 £2.04

43.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 £83.6

$108 £80.6

3.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.29

$4.52 £3.37

27.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 £1.89

$2.22 £1.66

13.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 £17.86

$30.82 £23.01

-22.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.14 £1.60

-4.67%

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

$38.7K £28.9K

$38.5K £28.7K

0.60%

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

$40.1K £30.0K

$40.0K £29.9K

0.24%

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

$469 £350

$252 £189

85.63%

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

$15.97 £11.93

$16.23 £12.12

-1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.00 £35.09

$39.58 £29.56

18.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.72 £29.66

$42.67 £31.86

-6.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.18 £9.84

$18.05 £13.48

-26.98%

Cinema Ticket

$12.62 £9.42

$13.44 £10.04

-6.10%

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

$2,180 £1,628

$1,494 £1,116

45.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K £13.2K

$19.7K £14.7K

-10.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 £50.8

$83.5 £62.4

-18.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.16 £23.26

$42.97 £32.09

-27.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.7

$95.0 £70.9

10.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 £55.4

$106 £79.1

-29.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 £1,031

$1,785 £1,333

-22.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 £784

$1,222 £913

-14.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 £1,613

$2,930 £2,188

-26.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 £1,453

$1,899 £1,418

2.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,743 £4,288

$4,668 £3,486

23.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,565 £3,409

$4,397 £3,283

3.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,062 £2,286

$3,395 £2,535

-9.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

4.82

6.02%

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

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Exeter

$1K 40.8%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 16.5% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Exeter

$532 20.7%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 42% $223

Groceries & Markets

Exeter

$334 13%

Manchester

$299 12% 10.5% $35

Eating Out

Exeter

$320 12.4%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 0.4% $1.2

Getting Around

Exeter

$146 5.7%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Exeter

$125 4.9%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 17.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Exeter

$65 2.5%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 7.1% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,381 in Exeter and $1,785 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $98 in Exeter vs $86 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $299 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Exeter

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

Same time as Exeter

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,800

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

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Between locations

Exeter Manchester 320 km

From you

Exeter
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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

Exeter vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,571 in Exeter and $2,499 in Manchester, so Manchester is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Exeter. 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: $1,381 in Exeter versus $1,785 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Manchester – a meal for two runs $86 versus $98 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,571 per month in Exeter versus $2,499 in Manchester – Manchester is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.