Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Barnsley

For one person, living is cheaper in Barnsley: $1,892 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Barnsley
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Barnsley Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Barnsley

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,892

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Barnsley

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $1,892 in Barnsley, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Barnsley $1,892

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $2,842 in Barnsley, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Barnsley $2,842

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $3,792 in Barnsley, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Barnsley $3,792

Manchester costs about 34% more than Barnsley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Manchester and Barnsley sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Barnsley by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$24.36 £18.28

-16.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$83.8 £62.9

3.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.52 £7.89

2.95%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.39 £1.79

2.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.62 £1.22

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$5.94 £4.46

31.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$6.68 £5.01

-2.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.71 £1.28

-15.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.86 £1.39

4.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.01 £1.51

-7.46%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.00 £3.00

1.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$8.71 £6.53

12.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$8.38 £6.28

8.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$14.58 £10.94

6.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.99 £2.24

7.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.93 £1.44

-21.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.61 £1.96

15.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$2.95 £2.22

13.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.90 £1.42

-18.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.62 £1.22

-19.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.51 £1.13

-19.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.46 £1.09

-12.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.72 £17.80

-0.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$11.36 £8.52

-4.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.45 £2.59

-26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$3.29 £2.47

-4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$2.61 £1.96

2.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$5.24 £3.93

-15.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.38 £1.04

59.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$19.06 £14.30

59.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.99 £1.49

2.51%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.3K £28.8K

2.18%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$40.8K £30.6K

-1.29%

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

$252 £189

$283 £213

-11.20%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$20.34 £15.26

-18.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$43.95 £32.97

-7.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$67.2 £50.4

-18.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$12.68 £9.51

4.57%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,486 £1,115

-15.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$16.4K £12.3K

21.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$60.0 £45.04

40.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$41.02 £30.77

4.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$92.8 £69.6

-0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$79.6 £59.8

33.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$921 £691

94.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$660 £495

88.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$1,347 £1,010

123.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$1,101 £826

78.13%

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

$2,966 £2,225

16.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.61

-14.08%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barnsley: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Barnsley

$660 34.9% 46.8% $582

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Barnsley

$343 18.2% 7.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Barnsley

$348 18.4% 12.6% $39

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Barnsley

$302 16% 0.3% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Barnsley

$123 6.5% 16% $23

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Barnsley

$23 * 1.2% 82.8% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Barnsley

$93 4.9% 13.5% $11

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 $921 in Barnsley. 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 17% higher in Manchester, 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 $87.0 in Manchester versus $84.0 in Barnsley. Groceries tell a different story – $301 in Manchester vs $302 in Barnsley – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Barnsley

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

245,199

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Manchester Barnsley 51 km

From you

Manchester
Barnsley

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 Barnsley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 34%, 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 $2,838 in Barnsley. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barnsley, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,532 in Manchester and $1,892 in Barnsley. That's a gap of about 34%.

Kindergarten costs $1,252 per month in Manchester and $1,486 in Barnsley. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Barnsley, where all-in costs run around $1,892, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Barnsley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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