Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Buckingham

For one person, living is cheaper in Buckingham: $2,219 a month against $2,544 in Manchester, 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
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Manchester Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Buckingham
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Buckingham Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Buckingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Buckingham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,544 in Manchester versus $2,219 in Buckingham.

Manchester $2,544
Buckingham $2,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,691 in Manchester versus $3,265 in Buckingham.

Manchester $3,691
Buckingham $3,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,839 in Manchester versus $4,311 in Buckingham.

Manchester $4,839
Buckingham $4,311

Living in Manchester is roughly 15% more expensive than in Buckingham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 88% above, Buckingham 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 £14.74

$20.03 £15.03

-1.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$78.9 £59.2

11.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.85

$10.44 £7.83

0.29%

Cappuccino

$4.85 £3.64

$4.60 £3.45

5.43%

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

$2.49 £1.87

$2.05 £1.54

21.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.50 £1.12

12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 £5.81

$5.45 £4.09

42.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 £5.04

$4.52 £3.39

48.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.51 £1.13

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.77 £1.33

9.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.82 £2.11

-33.69%

Eggs

$3.97 £2.98

$4.04 £3.03

-1.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 £7.05

$9.09 £6.82

3.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 £6.77

$7.72 £5.79

16.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 £11.55

$16.42 £12.32

-6.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.32

$3.29 £2.47

-6.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.54 £1.16

2.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

$2.80 £2.10

8.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 £2.52

$3.20 £2.40

5.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.16 £0.87

34.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.73 £1.30

-21.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.29 £0.97

-6.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.35 £1.01

-5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.80 £17.85

$23.66 £17.75

0.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 £8.34

$10.10 £7.57

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.88

$3.14 £2.36

-20.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.28 £1.71

36.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 £2.00

$3.38 £2.53

-21.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £77.8

$94.7 £71.1

9.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 £3.39

$4.18 £3.14

7.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 £1.64

$2.69 £2.02

-18.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.56 £22.18

$32.36 £24.28

-8.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$2.04 £1.53

3.43%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$38.4K £28.8K

-2.42%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$41.3K £31.0K

-2.37%

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

$250 £188

$200 £150

25.09%

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

$16.38 £12.29

$17.46 £13.10

-6.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.35 £30.27

$43.68 £32.77

-7.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 £41.65

$45.77 £34.34

21.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 £13.75

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 £9.84

$13.38 £10.04

-2.02%

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

$1,240 £930

$1,464 £1,099

-15.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K £14.6K

$22.0K £16.5K

-11.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.5 £63.4

$84.3 £63.2

0.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 £31.05

$31.33 £23.50

32.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 £68.7

$73.7 £55.3

24.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.6

$97.2 £72.9

6.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 £1,371

$1,462 £1,097

24.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 £950

$1,036 £777

22.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 £2,284

$2,105 £1,579

44.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 £1,488

$1,659 £1,244

19.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,537 £3,403

$5,081 £3,812

-10.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,324 £3,244

$3,819 £2,865

13.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 £2,498

$4,447 £3,336

-25.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.06

-4.74%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buckingham: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8%

Buckingham

$1K 46.7% 18.2% $231

Eating Out

Manchester

$316 12.4%

Buckingham

$297 13.4% 5.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$307 12.1%

Buckingham

$261 11.8% 14.9% $46

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 11.8%

Buckingham

$297 13.4% 0.6% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$144 5.7%

Buckingham

$129 5.8% 10.7% $16

Getting Around

Manchester

$130 5.1%

Buckingham

$126 5.7% 3% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Buckingham

$73 3.3% 11.2% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,827 in Manchester and $1,462 in Buckingham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88.0 in Manchester vs $79.0 in Buckingham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $297 per month, with Buckingham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Buckingham

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

12,890

💱 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 Buckingham 190 km

From you

Manchester
Buckingham

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 Buckingham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester and Buckingham differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,544 vs $2,219 including rent). Buckingham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Buckingham. 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: $1,827 in Manchester versus $1,462 in Buckingham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,544 per month in Manchester versus $2,219 in Buckingham – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Buckingham runs roughly 9% less than in Manchester. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,219 in Buckingham versus $2,544 in Manchester, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buckingham but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Buckingham the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Buckingham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.