Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Manchester Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Manchester

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,216 in Livingston versus $2,648 in Manchester.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Livingston versus $3,928 in Manchester.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,669 in Livingston versus $5,208 in Manchester.

Living in Livingston costs roughly 16% less than in Manchester, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Livingston 66% above, Manchester 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 £14.86

$20.42 £15.14

-1.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.4 £70.0

-0.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 £7.28

$11.00 £8.16

-10.73%

Cappuccino

$4.80 £3.56

$5.14 £3.81

-6.61%

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

$2.73 £2.03

$2.63 £1.95

3.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 £1.57

$1.68 £1.25

26.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 £5.17

$7.57 £5.61

-7.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 £4.88

$7.44 £5.51

-11.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.71 £1.27

-4.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.77 £1.31

-6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 £1.60

$2.24 £1.66

-3.57%

Eggs

$3.56 £2.64

$4.09 £3.03

-12.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 £8.20

$12.15 £9.01

-8.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 £6.82

$9.42 £6.98

-2.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.24 £12.03

$17.15 £12.71

-5.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.35

$3.33 £2.47

-4.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.79 £1.33

-8.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 £2.04

$3.93 £2.91

-30.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 £2.80

$4.21 £3.12

-10.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.31

$2.05 £1.52

-14.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 £1.06

$1.89 £1.40

-24.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.86

$1.26 £0.93

-7.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.23

$1.50 £1.11

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.91 £14.01

$19.00 £14.09

-0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.68 £7.91

$10.29 £7.63

3.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 £1.95

$2.58 £1.91

1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 £2.53

$3.55 £2.63

-3.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 £2.43

$2.67 £1.98

22.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 £55.5

$123 £91.5

-39.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.04

$5.31 £3.94

2.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 £0.91

$2.85 £2.11

-56.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 £16.33

$34.57 £25.63

-36.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.97 £1.46

1.02%

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

$38.9K £28.9K

$37.7K £27.9K

3.25%

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

$39.7K £29.4K

$40.5K £30.0K

-1.83%

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

$381 £282

$303 £224

25.83%

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

$17.55 £13.01

$22.65 £16.79

-22.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.47 £33.70

$42.94 £31.82

5.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.0 £45.19

$40.89 £30.31

49.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.29 £25.42

$15.65 £11.60

119.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 £7.98

$13.81 £10.24

-22.01%

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

$1,249 £926

$1,956 £1,450

-36.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K £13.9K

$21.4K £15.8K

-12.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 £78.2

$88.5 £65.6

19.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 £40.92

$42.00 £31.13

31.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 £86.2

$87.4 £64.8

33.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.6 £60.5

$109 £80.6

-24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 £661

$1,623 £1,203

-45.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$769 £570

$1,253 £929

-38.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 £1,456

$2,724 £2,019

-27.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 £1,170

$2,051 £1,521

-23.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,997 £3,704

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,610 £3,417

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,983 £2,952

$3,183 £2,359

25.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.7

5.92

-3.72%

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

Last update for Livingston: July 26, 2026

Last update for Manchester: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Livingston and $1,623 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $94.0 in Livingston vs $94.0 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $333 per month, with Livingston cheaper across the board.

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 19% 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 25% 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: $891 in Livingston versus $1,623 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,249 in Livingston versus $1,956 in Manchester. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Manchester. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,216 in Livingston versus $2,648 in Manchester, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Livingston but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Livingston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Livingston delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,216 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Livingston hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Livingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.