Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Bath

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $3,015 in Bath, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
145

Cost of Living Index in Bath
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Bath Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Bath

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,015

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Bath

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Manchester versus $3,015 in Bath.

Manchester $2,499
Bath $3,015

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,623 in Manchester versus $4,322 in Bath.

Manchester $3,623
Bath $4,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,747 in Manchester versus $5,628 in Bath.

Manchester $4,747
Bath $5,628

Living in Manchester costs roughly 17% less than in Bath, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 84% above, Bath 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.11

$23.49 £17.55

-13.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.3

$98.7 £73.7

-12.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.02

$10.59 £7.92

1.42%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.50

$5.22 £3.90

-10.34%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$2.58 £1.93

-5.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.82 £1.36

-10.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$7.95 £5.94

-2.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.01

$6.80 £5.08

-1.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.52 £1.14

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.67 £1.25

12.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.04 £1.52

-4.90%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$4.28 £3.20

-4.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.18

$8.13 £6.08

18.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.71

$9.83 £7.35

-8.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.51

$12.87 £9.62

19.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$4.30 £3.21

-28.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.73 £1.29

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$2.68 £2.01

10.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$3.99 £2.98

-16.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$2.02 £1.51

-25.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.75 £1.31

-22.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.20 £0.90

5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.99 £1.48

-38.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.96

$23.21 £17.34

3.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.13

$10.84 £8.10

0.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$2.89 £2.16

-15.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.37

$3.30 £2.46

-3.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$3.54 £2.65

-22.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.6

$132 £98.9

-18.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$3.37 £2.52

34.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

$1.64 £1.23

35.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.03

$26.57 £19.85

16.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.08 £1.56

2.88%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$39.4K £29.5K

-2.45%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$40.8K £30.4K

-1.73%

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

$252 £189

$290 £217

-13.07%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$19.69 £14.71

-17.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.57

$39.19 £29.28

1.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.88

$48.02 £35.87

-11.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.49

$20.16 £15.06

-10.47%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.04

$15.38 £11.49

-12.61%

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

$1,494 £1,116

$2,210 £1,651

-32.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$25.4K £19.0K

-22.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.4

$82.0 £61.2

1.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.10

$31.58 £23.59

36.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.0

$100 £74.7

-5.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.1

$85.7 £64.0

23.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,334

$2,037 £1,522

-12.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £913

$1,628 £1,216

-24.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,189

$3,876 £2,896

-24.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,419

$2,529 £1,889

-24.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,487

$7,712 £5,761

-39.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,285

$5,359 £4,003

-17.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,536

$3,618 £2,703

-6.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.11

-5.68%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bath: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Bath

$1.6K 54% 33.2% $406

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Bath

$353 11.7% 10.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Bath

$349 11.6% 13.3% $41

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Bath

$313 10.4% 4.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Bath

$135 4.5% 8.6% $13

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Bath

$158 5.2% 17.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Bath

$79 2.6% 13.3% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,785 in Manchester and $2,037 in Bath. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bath pays 7% 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: $86 in Manchester vs $99 in Bath for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $313 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Bath

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

88,859

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Manchester Bath 230 km

From you

Manchester
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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 Bath: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Manchester. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,785 in Manchester versus $2,037 in Bath. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,499 per month in Manchester versus $3,015 in Bath – Manchester is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Manchester runs roughly 18% less than in Bath. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Manchester gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Bath. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.