Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Burnley

For one person, living is cheaper in Burnley: $2,199 a month against $2,510 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Burnley
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Burnley Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,510

/mo nomad

Burnley

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Burnley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Manchester versus $2,199 in Burnley.

Manchester $2,510
Burnley $2,199

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,643 in Manchester versus $3,018 in Burnley.

Manchester $3,643
Burnley $3,018

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,776 in Manchester versus $3,838 in Burnley.

Manchester $4,776
Burnley $3,838

Living in Manchester is roughly 14% more expensive than in Burnley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 86% above, Burnley 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.16 £14.98

$20.19 £15.00

-0.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 £65.0

$76.5 £56.8

14.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.01

$7.92 £5.88

36.11%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.55

$4.65 £3.46

2.80%

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

$2.62 £1.95

$2.75 £2.04

-4.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.72 £1.28

1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 £5.89

$3.97 £2.95

99.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 £4.84

$6.13 £4.56

6.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 £1.00

$1.60 £1.19

-15.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.39

$1.48 £1.10

27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 £1.42

$1.60 £1.19

20.00%

Eggs

$4.04 £3.01

$3.56 £2.65

13.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 £7.12

$8.16 £6.07

17.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.88

$8.14 £6.05

13.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 £11.64

$13.58 £10.09

15.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.28

$2.40 £1.79

27.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.37 £1.02

11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.16

$1.65 £1.23

76.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.62

$2.62 £1.95

34.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.68 £1.25

-8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.58 £1.18

-12.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.30 £0.96

-6.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.13 £0.84

22.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.21 £17.99

$19.34 £14.38

25.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.05 £8.21

$10.85 £8.06

1.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 £1.85

$2.80 £2.08

-11.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 £2.15

$3.03 £2.25

-4.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.94

$3.99 £2.97

-34.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 £81.1

$92.4 £68.7

18.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 £3.32

$4.77 £3.54

-6.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 £1.64

$2.15 £1.60

2.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.93 £22.99

$26.94 £20.02

14.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 £1.62

$1.92 £1.43

13.54%

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

$39.2K £29.2K

$38.2K £28.4K

2.70%

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

$39.9K £29.7K

$40.8K £30.3K

-2.20%

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

$248 £185

$248 £184

0.24%

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

$16.31 £12.12

$17.02 £12.65

-4.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 £29.53

$42.23 £31.39

-5.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.93 £31.91

$38.22 £28.41

12.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.99 £13.37

$17.09 £12.70

5.27%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 £10.01

$7.83 £5.82

71.90%

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

$1,448 £1,076

$1,917 £1,424

-24.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K £15.6K

$23.1K £17.1K

-8.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 £61.9

$90.5 £67.2

-7.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 £32.19

$46.83 £34.80

-7.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 £70.9

$88.3 £65.7

8.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 £74.2

$88.3 £65.6

13.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 £1,351

$1,268 £942

43.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 £917

$1,016 £755

21.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,925 £2,174

$1,485 £1,103

97.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 £1,428

$1,229 £914

56.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,751 £3,531

$5,264 £3,912

-9.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,313 £3,206

$3,644 £2,708

18.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,798 £2,823

$3,179 £2,362

19.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.99

-4.01%

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

Last update for Manchester: November 2, 2026

Last update for Burnley: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.2%

Burnley

$1K 46.2% 17.7% $218

Eating Out

Manchester

$321 12.8%

Burnley

$291 13.2% 9.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$304 12.1%

Burnley

$307 14% 0.9% $2.6

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 12%

Burnley

$266 12.1% 11.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$145 5.8%

Burnley

$141 6.4% 2.5% $3.6

Getting Around

Manchester

$135 5.4%

Burnley

$124 5.6% 8.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Burnley

$54 2.5% 22.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,818 in Manchester and $1,268 in Burnley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 20% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Manchester vs $76 in Burnley for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $266 per month, with Burnley cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Burnley

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

73,500

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Manchester Burnley 35 km

From you

Manchester
Burnley

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 Burnley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burnley is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Manchester, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,818 in Manchester versus $1,268 in Burnley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Burnley – a meal for two runs $76 versus $87 in Manchester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,510 per month in Manchester versus $2,199 in Burnley – Burnley is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,199 in Burnley versus $2,510 in Manchester, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Burnley but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Burnley 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 Burnley gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.