Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Barrow-in-Furness

For one person, living is cheaper in Barrow-in-Furness: $2,256 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Barrow-in-Furness
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Barrow-in-Furness Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Barrow-in-Furness

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Barrow-in-Furness

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 Barrow-in-Furness actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Manchester vs $2,256 in Barrow-in-Furness, rent included.

Manchester $2,499
Barrow-in-Furness $2,256

A couple spends around $3,623 per month in Manchester vs $3,318 in Barrow-in-Furness, rent included.

Manchester $3,623
Barrow-in-Furness $3,318

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Manchester vs $4,381 in Barrow-in-Furness, rent included.

Manchester $4,747
Barrow-in-Furness $4,381

Manchester costs about 11% more than Barrow-in-Furness, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Manchester and Barrow-in-Furness sit above the global median – Manchester by 84%, Barrow-in-Furness by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.11

$26.29 £19.64

-23.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.3

$74.5 £55.7

15.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.02

$10.74 £8.03

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.50

$4.62 £3.45

1.30%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$2.72 £2.03

-10.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.80 £1.35

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$5.35 £4.00

45.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.01

$6.56 £4.90

2.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.63 £1.22

-7.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.51 £1.13

24.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.09 £1.56

-7.18%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$3.70 £2.76

10.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.18

$9.14 £6.83

5.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.71

$8.03 £6.00

11.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.51

$9.99 £7.46

54.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$3.38 £2.52

-8.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.92 £1.44

-17.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$2.39 £1.79

23.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$4.53 £3.38

-26.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$3.06 £2.29

-50.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.62 £1.21

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.54 £1.15

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.42 £1.06

-13.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.96

$23.88 £17.84

0.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.13

$11.94 £8.92

-8.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$4.20 £3.14

-42.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.37

$4.71 £3.52

-32.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$3.58 £2.67

-23.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.6

$96.3 £72.0

12.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$4.48 £3.35

0.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

$2.60 £1.94

-14.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.03

$19.55 £14.60

57.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.97 £1.47

8.63%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$38.2K £28.5K

0.71%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$40.9K £30.6K

-2.18%

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

$252 £189

$203 £151

24.59%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$17.13 £12.79

-5.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.57

$40.65 £30.37

-2.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.88

$41.28 £30.84

3.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.49

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.04

$7.99 £5.97

68.21%

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

$1,494 £1,116

$1,339 £1,000

11.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$16.3K £12.2K

20.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.4

$60.3 £45.04

38.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.10

$36.92 £27.58

16.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.0

$79.6 £59.5

19.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.1

$79.6 £59.5

33.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,334

$1,220 £911

46.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £913

$1,036 £774

17.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,189

$2,101 £1,569

39.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,419

$1,682 £1,257

12.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,487

$4,966 £3,710

-6.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,285

$3,836 £2,866

14.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,536

$2,017 £1,507

68.32%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Barrow-in-Furness: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Barrow-in-Furness

$1K 45.9% 15.2% $186

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Barrow-in-Furness

$356 15.8% 11.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Barrow-in-Furness

$260 11.5% 15.5% $48

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Barrow-in-Furness

$303 13.4% 1.3% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Barrow-in-Furness

$115 5.1% 21.7% $32

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Barrow-in-Furness

$128 5.7% 4.7% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Barrow-in-Furness

$57 2.5% 17.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,785 in Manchester versus $1,220 in Barrow-in-Furness. 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 68% higher in Manchester. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester versus $74 in Barrow-in-Furness. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Manchester vs $303 in Barrow-in-Furness – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Barrow-in-Furness

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

55,489

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Manchester Barrow-in-Furness 97 km

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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 Barrow-in-Furness: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,499 in Manchester, $2,256 in Barrow-in-Furness – Barrow-in-Furness comes out roughly 10% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Manchester and $3,384 in Barrow-in-Furness. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barrow-in-Furness, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,220 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,499 in Manchester and $2,256 in Barrow-in-Furness. That makes Barrow-in-Furness about 10% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,494 per month in Manchester and $1,339 in Barrow-in-Furness. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,499 in Manchester and $2,256 in Barrow-in-Furness, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Barrow-in-Furness – 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 Barrow-in-Furness. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manchester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.