Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,532 a month against $3,191 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Cambridge

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $3,191 in Cambridge, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Cambridge $3,191

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $4,509 in Cambridge, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Cambridge $4,509

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $5,827 in Cambridge, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Cambridge $5,827

Manchester is about 21% cheaper than Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manchester and Cambridge sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Cambridge by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$21.56 £16.17

-6.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$88.5 £66.4

-1.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.49 £3.37

7.13%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.79 £2.09

-12.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.88 £1.41

-13.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$7.90 £5.93

-1.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$6.54 £4.91

-0.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.64 £1.23

-11.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.79 £1.34

8.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.49 £1.87

-25.30%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.53 £3.40

-10.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$9.93 £7.45

-1.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$9.43 £7.07

-3.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$15.44 £11.59

0.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.95 £2.22

8.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.73 £1.30

-12.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$3.70 £2.77

-18.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$3.39 £2.54

-1.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.84 £1.38

-15.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.89 £1.42

-31.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.24 £0.93

-1.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.95 £1.47

-34.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$22.36 £16.77

5.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$10.97 £8.23

-0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.27 £2.45

-22.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$4.15 £3.11

-24.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$4.07 £3.05

-34.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$95.1 £71.3

10.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$7.76 £5.82

-43.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.70 £2.02

-18.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$50.9 £38.18

-40.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.07 £1.55

-1.45%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$37.9K £28.4K

3.46%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$41.1K £30.8K

-1.96%

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

$252 £189

$345 £258

-26.95%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$18.37 £13.78

-9.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$42.78 £32.10

-5.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$65.4 £49.09

-15.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

$20.63 £15.48

-12.65%

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$17.15 £12.86

-22.68%

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

$1,252 £939

$2,590 £1,943

-51.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$35.8K £26.9K

-44.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$90.4 £67.8

-6.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$47.74 £35.82

-10.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$91.4 £68.6

0.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$127 £95.5

-16.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$2,115 £1,587

-15.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$1,736 £1,302

-28.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$3,193 £2,396

-5.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$2,694 £2,021

-27.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$9,107 £6,832

-50.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$5,803 £4,353

-25.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$4,405 £3,305

-21.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.04

-4.37%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4% 39.7% $494

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Cambridge

$330 10.3% 3.1% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Cambridge

$406 12.7% 31.3% $97

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Cambridge

$327 10.2% 8.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Cambridge

$161 5% 9.6% $14

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Cambridge

$133 4.2% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Cambridge

$100 3.1% 22.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Manchester versus $2,115 in Cambridge. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Cambridge, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Manchester versus $88.0 in Cambridge. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $327 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

145,818

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Manchester Cambridge 210 km

From you

Manchester
Cambridge

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,798 per month in Manchester and $4,787 in Cambridge. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manchester, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Manchester and $88.0 in Cambridge. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,532 in Manchester and $3,191 in Cambridge. That's a gap of about 26%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,532 in Manchester and $3,191 in Cambridge. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Manchester – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Manchester. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cambridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.