Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Barnet

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,532 a month against $2,941 in Barnet, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barnet outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Barnet
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Barnet Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Barnet

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Barnet

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $2,941 in Barnet, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Barnet $2,941

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $4,337 in Barnet, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Barnet $4,337

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $5,732 in Barnet, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Barnet $5,732

Manchester is about 14% cheaper than Barnet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Manchester and Barnet sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Barnet by 117%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$23.54 £17.66

-14.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$92.0 £69.0

-5.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.76 £8.07

0.65%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$5.76 £4.32

-16.49%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.89 £2.17

-15.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.93 £1.45

-16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$7.99 £6.00

-2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$6.56 £4.92

-1.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.64 £1.23

-11.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.79 £1.34

8.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.52 £1.89

-26.19%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.82 £3.61

-15.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$11.56 £8.67

-15.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$10.61 £7.96

-14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$17.26 £12.95

-10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.03 £2.27

5.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.76 £1.32

-13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$3.05 £2.29

-0.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$3.46 £2.60

-3.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.82 £1.36

-14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.83 £1.37

-28.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.24 £0.93

-1.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.80 £1.35

-28.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$24.04 £18.04

-1.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$12.00 £9.00

-9.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.21 £2.41

-20.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$4.53 £3.40

-30.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$2.29 £1.72

17.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$5.57 £4.18

-20.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.63 £1.97

-16.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$50.1 £37.56

-39.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.07 £1.56

-1.45%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.8K £29.1K

0.88%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$41.1K £30.8K

-1.97%

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

$252 £189

$338 £253

-25.45%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$18.82 £14.12

-11.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$40.52 £30.40

0.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$17.19 £12.90

-22.86%

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

$1,252 £939

$2,564 £1,924

-51.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$35.2K £26.4K

-43.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$90.1 £67.6

-6.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$46.56 £34.93

-8.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$92.0 £69.0

0.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$129 £96.6

-17.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,984 £1,488

-9.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$1,616 £1,213

-23.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$3,261 £2,446

-7.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$2,847 £2,136

-31.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$14.2K £10.7K

-68.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$14.4K £10.8K

-69.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$2,685 £2,015

28.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

4.74

1.69%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barnet: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Barnet

$1.6K 55% 30.1% $374

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Barnet

$362 12.3% 13% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Barnet

$397 13.5% 28.5% $88

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Barnet

$343 11.7% 13.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Barnet

$161 5.5% 9.8% $14

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Barnet

$28 * 1% 78.8% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Barnet

$34 * 1.2% 57.9% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Manchester versus $1,984 in Barnet. 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 29% higher in Manchester, 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 $87.0 in Manchester versus $92.0 in Barnet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $343 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Barnet

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

111,973

💱 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 Barnet 250 km

From you

Manchester
Barnet

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 Barnet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barnet is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,798 per month in Manchester and $4,412 in Barnet. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Manchester and $92.0 in Barnet. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Barnet, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,532 in Manchester and $2,941 in Barnet. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Manchester – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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