Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Dundee

For one person, living is cheaper in Dundee: $2,083 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Dundee
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Dundee Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Dundee

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,083

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Dundee

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,532 in Manchester versus $2,083 in Dundee.

Manchester $2,532
Dundee $2,083

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,686 in Manchester versus $3,069 in Dundee.

Manchester $3,686
Dundee $3,069

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,839 in Manchester versus $4,055 in Dundee.

Manchester $4,839
Dundee $4,055

Living in Manchester is roughly 22% more expensive than in Dundee, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 87% above, Dundee 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$21.06 £15.80

-3.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$78.8 £59.1

10.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.61 £7.96

2.07%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.31 £3.23

11.60%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.52 £1.89

-3.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.36 £1.02

19.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$5.74 £4.30

36.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$6.02 £4.52

7.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$2.04 £1.53

-28.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.76 £1.32

10.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.69 £2.02

-30.86%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$5.58 £4.19

-27.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$7.44 £5.58

31.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$9.71 £7.29

-6.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$15.21 £11.41

2.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.40 £1.80

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$2.27 £1.70

-33.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.86 £2.15

5.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$2.87 £2.15

16.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$3.03 £2.28

-48.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$2.04 £1.53

-36.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.86 £1.39

-34.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$2.35 £1.76

-45.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.83 £17.87

-0.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$11.94 £8.96

-8.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.19 £2.40

-20.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$3.18 £2.38

-0.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$2.92 £2.19

-8.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$57.2 £42.92

84.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$4.62 £3.46

-4.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.83 £2.87

-42.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$26.70 £20.03

14.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.97 £1.48

3.55%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.2K £28.7K

2.39%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$39.7K £29.8K

1.38%

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

$252 £189

$242 £182

3.80%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$13.07 £9.81

27.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$42.70 £32.03

-4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$49.78 £37.34

10.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

$7.13 £5.35

152.73%

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$13.56 £10.17

-2.21%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,924 £1,444

-34.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$98.7 £74.0

-14.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$57.0 £42.74

-25.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$123 £92.5

-25.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$87.3 £65.5

21.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,024 £769

74.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$809 £607

53.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$1,632 £1,225

84.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$1,238 £929

58.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$4,077 £3,058

11.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$3,258 £2,444

33.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$3,266 £2,450

5.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.41

-10.91%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Dundee: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Dundee

$809 38.8% 34.9% $434

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Dundee

$308 14.8% 3.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Dundee

$298 14.3% 3.5% $11

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Dundee

$334 16% 10.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Dundee

$165 7.9% 12.5% $18

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Dundee

$93 4.5% 29.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Dundee

$77 3.7% 5.8% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,789 in Manchester and $1,024 in Dundee. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 6% 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 $79.0 in Dundee. Groceries flip the comparison at $301 vs $334, with Manchester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Dundee

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

148,280

💱 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 Dundee 330 km

From you

Manchester
Dundee

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 Dundee: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester and Dundee differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,532 vs $2,083 including rent). Dundee is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% 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: $1,789 in Manchester versus $1,024 in Dundee. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dundee runs roughly 84% less than in Manchester. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,252 in Manchester versus $1,924 in Dundee. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,083 in Dundee versus $2,532 in Manchester, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dundee but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Dundee 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.

Safety-wise, Manchester and Dundee 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 Dundee gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.