Cost of Living Comparison Between Kirkwall and Manchester Cost of Living Comparison Between Kirkwall and Manchester

🙂 Solo nomad: Kirkwall is 2.7% cheaper than Manchester without rent, and 15.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Kirkwall is 7.8% cheaper than Manchester without rent, and 13.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kirkwall
Manchester
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.3 £18.62
$20.43 £15.04
23.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.3 £60.6
$95.8 £70.5
-14.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.88 £7.27
$10.68 £7.86
-7.49%
Cappuccino
$3.95 £2.9
$5.05 £3.72
-21.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.3 £1.69
$2.57 £1.89
-10.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 £1.17
$1.73 £1.28
-8.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.61 £4.13
$7.26 £5.34
-22.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.71 £4.94
$7.48 £5.51
-10.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kirkwall
Manchester
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 £1.16
$1.63 £1.2
-3.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.58 £1.16
$1.72 £1.26
-8.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.26 £1.66
$2.17 £1.6
4.15%
Eggs
$3.88 £2.85
$3.89 £2.86
-0.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.92 £7.3
$12.14 £8.93
-18.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.05 £6.66
$9.7 £7.14
-6.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.84 £10.18
$16.94 £12.46
-18.30%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 £2.24
$3.3 £2.43
-7.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 £1.17
$1.87 £1.37
-14.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.9 £2.13
$3.95 £2.91
-26.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.6 £2.65
$4.35 £3.2
-17.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 £1.26
$2.14 £1.58
-20.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.54 £1.13
$1.81 £1.33
-14.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.1 £0.81
$1.31 £0.97
-16.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 £1.08
$1.5 £1.1
-2.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.87 £13.89
$18.67 £13.74
1.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.52 £7.74
$10.44 £7.68
0.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.77 £2.04
$2.58 £1.9
7.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 £2.36
$3.46 £2.54
-7.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Kirkwall
Manchester
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.28 £2.41
$2.74 £2.02
19.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.7 £65.3
$123 £90.2
-27.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 £4.01
$5.3 £3.9
2.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 £1.17
$2.92 £2.15
-45.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.12 £17.01
$33.89 £24.94
-31.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.91 £1.4
$1.88 £1.38
1.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.9K £28.6K
$38.3K £28.2K
1.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.1K £30.2K
$40.9K £30.1K
0.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kirkwall
Manchester
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$298 £219
$293 £215
1.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.34 £12.76
$22.46 £16.53
-22.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.56 £32.06
$43.09 £31.71
1.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kirkwall
Manchester
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.01 £19.14
$41.03 £30.19
-36.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.53 £11.43
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.55 £9.97
$13.75 £10.12
-1.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kirkwall
Manchester
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,604 £1,181
$1,981 £1,458
-19.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.3K £13.5K
$20.6K £15.2K
-11.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kirkwall
Manchester
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.3 £60.6
$91.8 £67.5
-10.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.14 £32.48
$41.44 £30.49
6.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.1 £67.8
$87.9 £64.7
4.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.8 £71.2
$106 £78
-8.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kirkwall
Manchester
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,240 £912
$1,595 £1,174
-22.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,016 £747
$1,267 £932
-19.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,072 £1,525
$2,742 £2,018
-24.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,709 £1,258
$2,072 £1,525
-17.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$5,685 £4,184
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,908 £2,876
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kirkwall
Manchester
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,950 £1,435
$3,332 £2,452
-41.48%
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 Kirkwall: October 27, 2025

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

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