Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Livingston: $2,109 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Livingston
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Livingston Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Livingston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,109

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,109 in Livingston versus $2,499 in Manchester.

Livingston $2,109
Manchester $2,499

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,288 in Livingston versus $3,623 in Manchester.

Livingston $3,288
Manchester $3,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,467 in Livingston versus $4,747 in Manchester.

Livingston $4,467
Manchester $4,747

Living in Livingston costs roughly 16% less than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Livingston 55% above, Manchester 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.94 £14.90

$20.22 £15.11

-1.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 £75.0

$86.0 £64.3

16.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 £7.81

$10.74 £8.02

-2.70%

Cappuccino

$5.24 £3.91

$4.68 £3.50

11.97%

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

$2.72 £2.03

$2.44 £1.82

11.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 £1.69

$1.62 £1.21

39.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 £5.06

$7.78 £5.81

-12.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.00

$6.70 £5.01

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.51 £1.12

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.88 £1.41

3.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 £1.66

$1.94 £1.45

14.43%

Eggs

$3.66 £2.74

$4.08 £3.04

-10.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 £6.72

$9.61 £7.18

-6.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 £6.62

$8.98 £6.71

-1.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 £10.86

$15.41 £11.51

-5.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 £2.17

$3.09 £2.31

-5.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.58 £1.18

15.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.14

$2.95 £2.20

-2.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.55

$3.35 £2.50

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.51 £1.13

13.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.35 £1.01

2.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.26 £0.94

-3.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.23 £0.92

26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.78 £15.52

$24.05 £17.96

-13.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 £8.08

$10.88 £8.13

-0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.29

$2.43 £1.81

25.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.17 £2.37

1.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.49 £2.61

$2.73 £2.04

27.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 £71.1

$108 £80.6

-11.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.95

$4.52 £3.37

17.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 £1.21

$2.22 £1.66

-27.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.76 £20.74

$30.82 £23.03

-9.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.14 £1.60

-3.27%

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

$38.8K £29.0K

$38.5K £28.7K

0.82%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

-0.22%

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

$321 £240

$252 £189

27.24%

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

$16.94 £12.66

$16.23 £12.12

4.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.06 £30.68

$39.58 £29.57

3.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.04 £34.40

$42.67 £31.88

7.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.49

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 £7.85

$13.44 £10.04

-21.80%

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

$1,245 £930

$1,494 £1,116

-16.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K £13.1K

$19.7K £14.7K

-11.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 £68.9

$83.5 £62.4

10.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 £35.71

$42.97 £32.10

11.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.0

$95.0 £71.0

14.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 £71.8

$106 £79.1

-9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 £636

$1,785 £1,334

-52.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 £570

$1,222 £913

-37.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 £1,442

$2,930 £2,189

-34.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 £1,122

$1,899 £1,419

-20.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,998 £3,734

$4,668 £3,487

7.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,861 £2,884

$4,397 £3,285

-12.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,972 £2,967

$3,395 £2,536

17.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

4.82

6.85%

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

Last update for Livingston: October 24, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Livingston

$763 36.2%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 60.2% $459

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Livingston

$379 18%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 18.7% $71

Eating Out

Livingston

$321 15.2%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 0.7% $2.2

Groceries & Markets

Livingston

$301 14.3%

Manchester

$299 12% 0.8% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Livingston

$155 7.4%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 4.9% $7.7

Getting Around

Livingston

$123 5.8%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 9.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Livingston

$67 3.2%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 3.7% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $852 in Livingston and $1,785 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $100 in Livingston vs $86 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $299 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Livingston

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

Same time as Livingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,840

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Livingston Manchester 280 km

From you

Livingston
Manchester

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

Livingston vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Livingston wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Manchester. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Livingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Livingston, 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: $852 in Livingston versus $1,785 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Livingston runs roughly 12% less than in Manchester. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,109 per month in Livingston versus $2,499 in Manchester – Livingston is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Livingston 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.