Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leicester and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Leicester: $2,266 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Leicester
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Leicester Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Leicester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,266

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,266 per month in Leicester vs $2,499 in Manchester, rent included.

Leicester $2,266
Manchester $2,499

A couple spends around $3,200 per month in Leicester vs $3,623 in Manchester, rent included.

Leicester $3,200
Manchester $3,623

A family of three spends $4,133 per month in Leicester vs $4,747 in Manchester, rent included.

Leicester $4,133
Manchester $4,747

Leicester is about 9% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Leicester and Manchester sit above the global median – Leicester by 66%, Manchester by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.76 £16.38

$20.22 £15.22

7.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 £49.67

$86.0 £64.7

-23.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 £6.95

$10.74 £8.08

-13.97%

Cappuccino

$4.72 £3.56

$4.68 £3.52

0.85%

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

$2.42 £1.82

$2.44 £1.84

-0.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.03

$1.62 £1.22

-16.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 £5.07

$7.78 £5.85

-13.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 £3.91

$6.70 £5.04

-22.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.51 £1.13

14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.88 £1.42

-13.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 £1.64

$1.94 £1.46

12.37%

Eggs

$3.94 £2.96

$4.08 £3.07

-3.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 £7.69

$9.61 £7.23

6.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.99 £6.76

$8.98 £6.76

0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.85 £11.18

$15.41 £11.60

-3.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 £2.16

$3.09 £2.33

-6.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.58 £1.19

-5.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 £2.06

$2.95 £2.22

-7.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 £2.61

$3.35 £2.52

3.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.51 £1.14

2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$1.35 £1.01

16.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.89

$1.26 £0.95

-6.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.23 £0.93

19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.03 £15.83

$24.05 £18.10

-12.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 £8.48

$10.88 £8.19

3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 £1.87

$2.43 £1.83

2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.39

$3.17 £2.38

0.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 £3.09

$2.73 £2.06

50.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 £75.3

$108 £81.2

-7.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.86 £3.66

$4.52 £3.40

7.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.93 £2.96

$2.22 £1.67

77.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.20

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.53

$2.14 £1.61

-5.14%

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

$38.0K £28.6K

$38.5K £28.9K

-1.23%

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

$40.2K £30.3K

$40.0K £30.1K

0.49%

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

$312 £235

$252 £190

23.62%

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

$16.36 £12.31

$16.23 £12.21

0.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.04 £33.15

$39.58 £29.79

11.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.58 £26.03

$42.67 £32.12

-18.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.32 £19.81

$18.05 £13.59

45.82%

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 £10.95

$13.44 £10.12

8.26%

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

$1,372 £1,032

$1,494 £1,125

-8.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.4K £19.8K

$19.7K £14.8K

33.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.0 £62.5

$83.5 £62.9

-0.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.80 £31.46

$42.97 £32.34

-2.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.7

$95.0 £71.5

12.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 £80.3

$106 £79.7

0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 £820

$1,785 £1,344

-38.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$918 £691

$1,222 £920

-24.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 £1,308

$2,930 £2,205

-40.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 £971

$1,899 £1,429

-32.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,857 £3,655

$4,668 £3,513

4.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,333 £2,508

$4,397 £3,309

-24.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,936 £2,210

$3,395 £2,555

-13.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.82

10.58%

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

Last update for Leicester: 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

Leicester

$918 40.5%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 33.2% $305

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leicester

$372 16.4%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 17.2% $64

Eating Out

Leicester

$318 14%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 0.3% $0.9

Groceries & Markets

Leicester

$301 13.3%

Manchester

$299 12% 0.8% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Leicester

$152 6.7%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 3.3% $5

Getting Around

Leicester

$141 6.2%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 4.7% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Leicester

$64 2.8%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 9.2% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,090 in Leicester 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 16% higher in Manchester. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Leicester versus $86 in Manchester. Groceries tell a different story – $301 in Leicester vs $299 in Manchester – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Leicester

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

Same time as Leicester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

305,700

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

Leicester Manchester 120 km

From you

Leicester
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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

Leicester vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester costs about 10% more than Leicester, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,399 per month in Leicester and $3,749 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leicester, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,090 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,266 in Leicester and $2,499 in Manchester. That’s a gap of about 10%.

Kindergarten costs $1,372 per month in Leicester and $1,494 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,266 in Leicester and $2,499 in Manchester. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Leicester – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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