Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston upon Thames and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,544 a month against $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,276

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames versus $2,544 in Manchester.

Kingston upon Thames $3,276
Manchester $2,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,746 in Kingston upon Thames versus $3,691 in Manchester.

Kingston upon Thames $4,746
Manchester $3,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,216 in Kingston upon Thames versus $4,839 in Manchester.

Kingston upon Thames $6,216
Manchester $4,839

Living in Kingston upon Thames is roughly 29% more expensive than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston upon Thames 143% above, Manchester 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 £16.58

$19.64 £14.74

12.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 £65.0

$87.7 £65.8

-1.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 £7.82

$10.47 £7.85

-0.48%

Cappuccino

$5.46 £4.09

$4.85 £3.64

12.58%

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

$3.00 £2.25

$2.49 £1.87

20.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.68 £1.26

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.20 £6.91

$7.75 £5.81

18.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.93

$6.72 £5.04

17.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.43 £1.07

17.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.94 £1.45

-10.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.87 £1.40

31.02%

Eggs

$4.91 £3.68

$3.97 £2.98

23.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 £6.35

$9.40 £7.05

-10.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 £6.54

$9.02 £6.77

-3.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 £9.74

$15.39 £11.55

-15.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$3.09 £2.32

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.58 £1.19

-14.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$3.03 £2.28

-13.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$3.37 £2.52

-13.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.56 £1.17

7.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.36 £1.02

25.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.20 £0.90

3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.27 £0.95

41.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$23.80 £17.85

-2.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 £6.99

$11.11 £8.34

-16.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 £2.32

$2.50 £1.88

23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 £3.34

$3.12 £2.34

42.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 £1.78

$2.67 £2.00

-11.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.49 £31.88

$104 £77.8

-59.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 £3.69

$4.51 £3.39

8.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.18 £1.64

-34.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.70 £17.78

$29.56 £22.18

-19.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.49

$2.11 £1.58

-6.16%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$37.5K £28.1K

0.63%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$40.3K £30.2K

-1.21%

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

$371 £278

$250 £188

48.14%

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

$15.63 £11.73

$16.38 £12.29

-4.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.78 £30.60

$40.35 £30.27

1.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 £76.8

$55.5 £41.65

84.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.49 £7.87

$18.33 £13.75

-42.77%

Cinema Ticket

$19.46 £14.60

$13.11 £9.84

48.44%

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

$2,594 £1,946

$1,240 £930

109.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K £16.6K

$19.5K £14.6K

13.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.7

$84.5 £63.4

35.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 £40.19

$41.39 £31.05

29.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 £58.6

$91.6 £68.7

-14.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$103 £77.6

2.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 £1,527

$1,827 £1,371

11.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,374

$1,267 £950

44.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,567 £2,676

$3,044 £2,284

17.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,164 £2,374

$1,983 £1,488

59.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,537 £3,403

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,324 £3,244

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,303 £3,978

$3,329 £2,498

59.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.82

-1.66%

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

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 13, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.9%

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8% 30.9% $565

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston upon Thames

$427 13%

Manchester

$307 12.1% 28.1% $120

Eating Out

Kingston upon Thames

$355 10.8%

Manchester

$316 12.4% 11% $39

Groceries & Markets

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.1%

Manchester

$299 11.8% 0.2% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston upon Thames

$158 4.8%

Manchester

$144 5.7% 8.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston upon Thames

$141 4.3%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 42.2% $60

Getting Around

Kingston upon Thames

$64 2%

Manchester

$130 5.1% 103% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames and $1,827 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston upon Thames pays 59% 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: $87.0 in Kingston upon Thames vs $88.0 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $299 per month, with Kingston upon Thames cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

Same time as Kingston upon Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,013

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

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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

Kingston upon Thames vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston upon Thames and Manchester differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($3,276 vs $2,544 including rent). Manchester is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Kingston upon Thames, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames versus $1,827 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Manchester runs roughly 144% less than in Kingston upon Thames. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,594 in Kingston upon Thames versus $1,240 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 $2,500. Manchester 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, Kingston upon Thames 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 Manchester gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Kingston upon Thames. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.