Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Aberdeen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aberdeen: $2,292 a month against $2,510 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
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Aberdeen Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,510

/mo nomad

Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Aberdeen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Manchester and in Aberdeen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,510 per month in Manchester vs $2,292 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Manchester $2,510
Aberdeen $2,292

A couple spends around $3,643 per month in Manchester vs $3,567 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Manchester $3,643
Aberdeen $3,567

A family of three spends $4,776 per month in Manchester vs $4,841 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Manchester $4,776
Aberdeen $4,841

Manchester costs about 9% more than Aberdeen.

Both Manchester and Aberdeen sit above the global median – Manchester by 86%, Aberdeen by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.16 £14.95

$20.00 £14.83

0.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 £64.9

$102 £75.7

-14.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.00

$10.69 £7.93

0.84%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.55

$4.75 £3.52

0.63%

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

$2.62 £1.94

$2.86 £2.12

-8.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.29

$2.20 £1.63

-20.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 £5.88

$7.20 £5.34

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 £4.83

$7.90 £5.86

-17.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 £1.00

$1.55 £1.15

-12.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.39

$1.80 £1.33

4.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 £1.42

$2.04 £1.51

-5.88%

Eggs

$4.04 £3.00

$4.46 £3.31

-9.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 £7.11

$8.63 £6.40

11.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.87

$12.31 £9.13

-24.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 £11.62

$16.59 £12.30

-5.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.28

$2.90 £2.15

5.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.36 £1.01

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.16

$2.89 £2.14

0.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.62

$3.79 £2.81

-6.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.80 £1.33

-14.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 £1.02

$1.45 £1.07

-4.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.26 £0.93

-3.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.65 £1.22

-16.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.21 £17.95

$22.68 £16.82

6.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.05 £8.19

$11.06 £8.20

-0.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 £1.84

$2.68 £1.99

-7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 £2.15

$3.01 £2.23

-3.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.93

$4.11 £3.05

-36.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 £80.9

$120 £89.2

-9.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 £3.31

$4.03 £2.99

10.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 £1.64

$2.42 £1.80

-8.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.93 £22.94

$24.49 £18.16

26.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 £1.61

$2.17 £1.61

0.46%

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

$39.2K £29.1K

$38.1K £28.3K

2.98%

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

$39.9K £29.6K

$40.7K £30.1K

-1.84%

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

$248 £184

$402 £298

-38.16%

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

$16.31 £12.10

$28.26 £20.96

-42.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 £29.47

$42.43 £31.47

-6.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.93 £31.84

$48.03 £35.62

-10.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.99 £13.34

$22.14 £16.42

-18.74%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 £9.98

$11.47 £8.50

17.35%

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

$1,448 £1,074

$1,839 £1,364

-21.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K £15.6K

$23.7K £17.6K

-11.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 £61.8

$97.4 £72.2

-14.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 £32.13

$48.27 £35.80

-10.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 £70.8

$103 £76.4

-7.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 £74.1

$114 £84.7

-12.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 £1,348

$852 £632

113.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 £915

$788 £584

56.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,925 £2,169

$1,649 £1,223

77.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 £1,424

$1,593 £1,181

20.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,751 £3,523

$2,635 £1,954

80.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,313 £3,199

$3,197 £2,371

34.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,798 £2,817

$4,053 £3,005

-6.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.11

-6.26%

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

Last update for Manchester: November 2, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.2%

Aberdeen

$788 34.3% 36.2% $446

Eating Out

Manchester

$321 12.8%

Aberdeen

$321 14% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$304 12.1%

Aberdeen

$472 20.6% 55.2% $168

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 12%

Aberdeen

$325 14.2% 7.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$145 5.8%

Aberdeen

$163 7.1% 12.7% $18

Getting Around

Manchester

$135 5.4%

Aberdeen

$153 6.7% 13.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Aberdeen

$71 3.1% 1.6% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,818 in Manchester versus $852 in Aberdeen. 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 7% higher in Aberdeen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87 in Manchester versus $102 in Aberdeen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $325 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

229,060

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manchester Aberdeen 410 km

From you

Manchester
Aberdeen

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

Manchester vs Aberdeen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester costs about 9% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,765 per month in Manchester and $3,439 in Aberdeen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aberdeen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $852 there versus $1,818 in Manchester.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,510 in Manchester and $2,292 in Aberdeen. That makes Aberdeen about 9% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Manchester. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,510 in Manchester and $2,292 in Aberdeen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aberdeen costs $2,292 versus $2,510 in Manchester. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.