Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Barry

For one person, living is cheaper in Barry: $2,367 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Barry
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Barry Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Barry

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,367

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Barry

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

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Manchester vs $2,367 in Barry, rent included.

Manchester $2,499
Barry $2,367

A couple spends around $3,623 per month in Manchester vs $3,494 in Barry, rent included.

Manchester $3,623
Barry $3,494

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Manchester vs $4,621 in Barry, rent included.

Manchester $4,747
Barry $4,621

Manchester costs about 6% more than Barry, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Manchester and Barry sit above the global median – Manchester by 84%, Barry by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.22

$24.07 £18.12

-16.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.7

$84.0 £63.2

2.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.08

$10.72 £8.07

0.19%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.52

$4.54 £3.42

3.08%

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

$2.44 £1.84

$2.69 £2.02

-9.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.22

$2.03 £1.53

-20.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.85

$7.77 £5.85

0.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.04

$6.63 £4.99

1.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.67 £1.26

-9.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.42

$1.72 £1.29

9.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$2.23 £1.68

-13.00%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.07

$4.47 £3.36

-8.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.23

$8.10 £6.09

18.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.76

$9.74 £7.33

-7.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.60

$13.10 £9.86

17.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.33

$2.69 £2.02

14.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.54 £1.16

2.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$3.02 £2.27

-2.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.52

$3.58 £2.69

-6.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.94 £1.46

-22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.51 £1.14

-10.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.06 £0.80

18.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.93

$1.63 £1.23

-24.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £18.10

$23.68 £17.82

1.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.19

$10.52 £7.92

3.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.83

$3.06 £2.30

-20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$3.52 £2.65

-9.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.06

$3.68 £2.77

-25.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £81.2

$96.0 £72.2

12.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.40

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.67

$1.69 £1.27

31.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.20

$27.05 £20.36

13.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.61

$2.13 £1.60

0.47%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$39.0K £29.4K

-1.38%

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

$40.0K £30.1K

$40.7K £30.6K

-1.54%

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

$252 £190

$324 £244

-22.15%

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

$16.23 £12.21

$23.15 £17.42

-29.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.79

$38.79 £29.20

2.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £32.12

$45.41 £34.18

-6.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.59

$5.94 £4.47

203.87%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.12

$10.75 £8.09

25.02%

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

$1,494 £1,125

$1,998 £1,504

-25.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.8K

$25.4K £19.1K

-22.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.9

$101 £76.2

-17.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.34

$48.63 £36.60

-11.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.5

$109 £82.0

-12.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$97.9 £73.7

8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,344

$1,188 £894

50.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £920

$977 £736

25.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,205

$2,111 £1,588

38.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,429

$1,636 £1,231

16.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,513

$5,049 £3,800

-7.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,309

$3,915 £2,946

12.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,555

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

4.87

-1.03%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barry: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Barry

$977 41.3% 20% $245

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Barry

$350 14.8% 9.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Barry

$386 16.3% 25.3% $78

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Barry

$302 12.8% 1% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Barry

$161 6.8% 8.9% $13

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Barry

$124 5.2% 8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Barry

$67 2.8% 3.8% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,785 in Manchester versus $1,188 in Barry. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester versus $84 in Barry. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Manchester vs $302 in Barry – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Barry

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

54,673

💱 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

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Between locations

Manchester Barry 240 km

From you

Manchester
Barry

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 Barry: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Manchester and $3,550 in Barry. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barry, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,188 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Barry. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,494 per month in Manchester and $1,998 in Barry. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.