Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Bristol

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,532 a month against $2,853 in Bristol, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Bristol
Learn more

Bristol Living Index

Jump to prices

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Bristol

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Bristol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,532 in Manchester versus $2,853 in Bristol.

Manchester $2,532
Bristol $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,686 in Manchester versus $4,195 in Bristol.

Manchester $3,686
Bristol $4,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,839 in Manchester versus $5,537 in Bristol.

Manchester $4,839
Bristol $5,537

Living in Manchester costs roughly 11% less than in Bristol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 87% above, Bristol 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$23.72 £17.79

-14.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$115 £86.1

-24.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.54 £7.90

2.75%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$5.23 £3.92

-8.03%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.66 £2.00

-8.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.77 £1.33

-8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$7.84 £5.88

-0.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$6.83 £5.12

-5.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.53 £1.15

-5.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.64 £1.23

18.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.00 £1.50

-7.00%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.27 £3.21

-5.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$8.15 £6.12

19.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$9.55 £7.17

-4.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$12.84 £9.63

20.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.21 £2.41

-0.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.72 £1.29

-11.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.65 £1.98

13.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$4.06 £3.05

-17.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$2.03 £1.52

-23.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.53 £1.14

-15.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.26 £0.94

-3.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$2.07 £1.55

-38.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.02 £17.27

2.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$10.53 £7.90

3.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$2.82 £2.11

-9.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$3.55 £2.66

-11.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$3.53 £2.65

-24.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$120 £89.9

-12.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$3.49 £2.62

26.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.63 £1.22

34.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$27.14 £20.36

12.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.05 £1.54

-0.49%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$39.3K £29.5K

-0.39%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$41.3K £31.0K

-2.56%

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

$252 £189

$317 £238

-20.64%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$17.00 £12.76

-2.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$39.33 £29.51

3.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$49.53 £37.16

11.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

$11.77 £8.83

53.10%

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$15.31 £11.49

-13.39%

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

$1,252 £939

$2,273 £1,705

-44.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$25.4K £19.0K

-21.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$101 £76.1

-16.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$48.13 £36.10

-11.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$106 £79.2

-12.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$99.1 £74.4

7.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,907 £1,430

-6.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$1,433 £1,075

-13.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$3,065 £2,300

-1.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$2,326 £1,745

-15.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$6,885 £5,165

-33.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$5,305 £3,980

-18.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$3,771 £2,829

-8.24%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Bristol: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Bristol

$1.4K 50.3% 15.4% $191

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Bristol

$355 12.4% 10.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Bristol

$373 13.1% 20.9% $65

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Bristol

$306 10.7% 1.6% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Bristol

$159 5.6% 8.8% $13

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Bristol

$146 5.1% 10.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Bristol

$80 2.8% 1.8% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,789 in Manchester and $1,907 in Bristol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol pays 9% 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: $87.0 in Manchester vs $115 in Bristol for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $306 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Bristol

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

463,400

💱 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 Bristol 230 km

From you

Manchester
Bristol

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 Bristol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester and Bristol differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,532 vs $2,853 including rent). Manchester is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Bristol. 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: $1,789 in Manchester versus $1,907 in Bristol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Bristol. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Manchester – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $115 in Bristol. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Manchester is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Manchester and Bristol are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Manchester gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Bristol. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.