Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,499 in Manchester, rent included.

London $4,086
Manchester $2,499

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $3,623 in Manchester, rent included.

London $5,891
Manchester $3,623

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $4,747 in Manchester, rent included.

London $7,696
Manchester $4,747

London costs about 63% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Manchester sit above the global median – London by 200%, Manchester by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.79

$20.22 £15.08

31.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.8

$86.0 £64.1

24.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.04

$10.74 £8.01

0.37%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.26

$4.68 £3.49

22.01%

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

$3.01 £2.24

$2.44 £1.82

23.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.62 £1.21

41.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.77

$7.78 £5.80

16.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.01

$6.70 £5.00

20.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.51 £1.12

25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.88 £1.40

7.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.82

$1.94 £1.45

26.29%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.78

$4.08 £3.04

24.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.47

$9.61 £7.16

32.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.91

$8.98 £6.70

18.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.18

$15.41 £11.49

14.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.36

$3.09 £2.30

2.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.58 £1.18

-8.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.34

$2.95 £2.20

6.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.54

$3.35 £2.50

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.51 £1.13

10.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.35 £1.00

31.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.26 £0.94

13.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.23 £0.92

52.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.82

$24.05 £17.93

-0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.05

$10.88 £8.12

23.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$2.43 £1.81

26.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.27

$3.17 £2.36

38.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.04

$2.73 £2.04

49.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £188

$108 £80.4

133.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.28

$4.52 £3.37

26.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.22 £1.65

50.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £42.67

$30.82 £22.98

85.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.55

$2.14 £1.59

-2.80%

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

$38.0K £28.3K

$38.5K £28.7K

-1.23%

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

$40.4K £30.1K

$40.0K £29.9K

0.88%

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

$387 £289

$252 £188

53.29%

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

$18.57 £13.85

$16.23 £12.10

14.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.34

$39.58 £29.51

2.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £42.93

$42.67 £31.81

34.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.73

$18.05 £13.46

9.42%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.66

$13.44 £10.02

36.38%

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

$2,957 £2,205

$1,494 £1,114

97.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £26.8K

$19.7K £14.7K

82.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.6

$83.5 £62.3

42.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £41.95

$42.97 £32.04

30.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £97.6

$95.0 £70.8

37.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £123

$106 £79.0

55.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,096

$1,785 £1,331

57.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,708

$1,222 £911

87.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,866

$2,930 £2,185

76.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,837

$1,899 £1,416

100.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.2K

$4,668 £3,480

278.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,266

$4,397 £3,278

91.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,780

$3,395 £2,531

49.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.82

-0.62%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 46.7% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 30.9% $138

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 19.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Manchester

$299 12% 16% $57

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 53.8% $157

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 30.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 26.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London 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 49% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $86 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $299 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

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

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Highest

Between locations

London Manchester 260 km

From you

London
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

London vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,499 in Manchester – Manchester comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London 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 Manchester, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,785 there versus $2,811 in London.

Groceries cost about 19% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $86 in Manchester. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manchester costs $2,499 versus $4,086 in London. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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