Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Ashton-under-Lyne

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashton-under-Lyne: $2,224 a month against $2,510 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Ashton-under-Lyne
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Ashton-under-Lyne Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,510

/mo nomad

Ashton-under-Lyne

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Ashton-under-Lyne

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 Ashton-under-Lyne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Manchester versus $2,224 in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Manchester $2,510
Ashton-under-Lyne $2,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,643 in Manchester versus $3,437 in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Manchester $3,643
Ashton-under-Lyne $3,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,776 in Manchester versus $4,649 in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Manchester $4,776
Ashton-under-Lyne $4,649

Living in Manchester is roughly 13% more expensive than in Ashton-under-Lyne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 86% above, Ashton-under-Lyne 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.16 £14.95

$19.91 £14.76

1.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 £64.9

$89.0 £66.0

-1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.00

$10.40 £7.71

3.65%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.55

$4.64 £3.44

3.02%

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

$2.62 £1.94

$2.41 £1.79

8.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.75 £1.30

-0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 £5.88

$6.57 £4.87

20.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 £4.83

$6.61 £4.90

-1.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 £1.00

$1.43 £1.06

-5.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.39

$1.77 £1.31

6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 £1.42

$1.93 £1.43

-0.52%

Eggs

$4.04 £3.00

$4.05 £3.00

-0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 £7.11

$8.21 £6.09

16.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.87

$8.70 £6.45

6.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 £11.62

$14.16 £10.50

10.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.28

$2.77 £2.05

10.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.59 £1.18

-3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.16

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.62

$2.97 £2.20

18.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.55 £1.15

-0.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 £1.02

$1.43 £1.06

-3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.24 £0.92

-2.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.39 £1.03

-0.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.21 £17.95

$23.97 £17.78

1.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.05 £8.19

$10.13 £7.52

9.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 £1.84

$2.47 £1.83

0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 £2.15

$3.04 £2.26

-4.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.93

$4.30 £3.19

-39.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 £80.9

$107 £79.0

2.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 £3.31

$4.67 £3.46

-4.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.81 £1.34

22.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.93 £22.94

$15.93 £11.81

94.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 £1.61

$2.10 £1.56

3.81%

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

$39.2K £29.1K

0.17%

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

$39.9K £29.6K

$41.4K £30.7K

-3.64%

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

$248 £184

$252 £187

-1.35%

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

$16.31 £12.10

$16.53 £12.26

-1.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 £29.47

$41.03 £30.43

-3.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.93 £31.84

$39.26 £29.11

9.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.99 £13.34

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 £9.98

$13.55 £10.05

-0.66%

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

$1,448 £1,074

$1,493 £1,107

-2.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K £15.6K

$17.8K £13.2K

18.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 £61.8

$85.2 £63.2

-2.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 £32.13

$42.93 £31.84

0.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 £70.8

$92.5 £68.6

3.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 £74.1

$101 £75.2

-1.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 £1,348

$1,280 £950

41.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 £915

$973 £721

26.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,925 £2,169

$1,855 £1,376

57.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 £1,424

$1,859 £1,378

3.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,751 £3,523

$4,608 £3,418

3.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,313 £3,199

$3,858 £2,861

11.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,798 £2,817

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

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

Last update for Manchester: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ashton-under-Lyne: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.2%

Ashton-under-Lyne

$973 43.7% 21.1% $261

Eating Out

Manchester

$321 12.8%

Ashton-under-Lyne

$309 13.9% 3.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$304 12.1%

Ashton-under-Lyne

$309 13.9% 1.6% $4.9

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 12%

Ashton-under-Lyne

$284 12.8% 5.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$145 5.8%

Ashton-under-Lyne

$145 6.5% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Manchester

$135 5.4%

Ashton-under-Lyne

$137 6.2% 1.8% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Ashton-under-Lyne

$66 3% 5% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,818 in Manchester and $1,280 in Ashton-under-Lyne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $87 in Manchester vs $89 in Ashton-under-Lyne. Groceries flip the comparison at $301 vs $284, with Ashton-under-Lyne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Ashton-under-Lyne

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

48,604

💱 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

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Between locations

Manchester Ashton-under-Lyne 10 km

From you

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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 Ashton-under-Lyne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashton-under-Lyne wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Manchester. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ashton-under-Lyne the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,765 in Manchester and $3,336 in Ashton-under-Lyne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,818 in Manchester versus $1,280 in Ashton-under-Lyne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,510 per month in Manchester versus $2,224 in Ashton-under-Lyne – Ashton-under-Lyne is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Ashton-under-Lyne 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.