Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Banbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Banbury: $2,288 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Banbury
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Banbury Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Banbury

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Banbury

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 Banbury actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,532 in Manchester versus $2,288 in Banbury.

Manchester $2,532
Banbury $2,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,686 in Manchester versus $3,422 in Banbury.

Manchester $3,686
Banbury $3,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,839 in Manchester versus $4,556 in Banbury.

Manchester $4,839
Banbury $4,556

Living in Manchester is roughly 11% more expensive than in Banbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 87% above, Banbury 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$19.60 £14.71

3.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$79.9 £59.9

9.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.46 £7.85

3.54%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.58 £3.44

5.02%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.15 £1.61

13.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.49 £1.11

8.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$5.69 £4.27

37.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$4.61 £3.46

40.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.34 £1.01

8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.56 £1.17

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.01 £1.51

-7.46%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.54 £3.41

-10.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$5.11 £3.83

91.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$7.31 £5.48

24.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$13.50 £10.13

14.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.18 £1.64

46.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.35 £1.02

12.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$1.98 £1.49

52.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$2.11 £1.59

58.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.30 £0.97

19.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.34 £1.01

-2.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.46 £1.10

-12.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.60 £17.70

0.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$9.22 £6.92

18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$2.65 £1.98

-3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$2.29 £1.72

37.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$4.09 £3.07

-34.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$265 £199

-60.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$4.70 £3.53

-5.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.63 £1.22

34.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$39.53 £29.66

-22.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.02 £1.52

0.99%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.4K £28.8K

1.87%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

-0.13%

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

$252 £189

$205 £154

22.53%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$13.33 £10.00

24.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$46.31 £34.75

-12.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$72.6 £54.5

-24.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$14.82 £11.12

-10.53%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,477 £1,108

-15.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$22.4K £16.8K

-11.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$82.3 £61.7

2.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$30.50 £22.88

40.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$105 £78.5

-11.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$87.4 £65.6

21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,190 £893

50.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$944 £708

31.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$1,897 £1,423

58.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$1,597 £1,198

22.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$2,750 £2,063

25.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.06

-4.74%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Banbury: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Banbury

$944 41.3% 24% $298

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Banbury

$295 12.9% 7.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Banbury

$265 11.6% 14.2% $44

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Banbury

$250 10.9% 16.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Banbury

$137 6% 6.3% $9.3

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Banbury

$294 12.8% 123% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Banbury

$102 4.5% 25.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,789 in Manchester and $1,190 in Banbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 26% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $87.0 in Manchester vs $80.0 in Banbury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $250 per month, with Banbury cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Banbury

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

48,681

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manchester Banbury 170 km

From you

Manchester
Banbury

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 Banbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Banbury is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Manchester, 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: $1,789 in Manchester versus $1,190 in Banbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Manchester. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Banbury – a meal for two runs $80.0 versus $87.0 in Manchester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,288 in Banbury versus $2,532 in Manchester, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Banbury but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Banbury the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Banbury is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Manchester, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Manchester and Banbury are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Banbury gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.