Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Dunfermline

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunfermline: $2,047 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Dunfermline
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Dunfermline Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Dunfermline

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,047

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Dunfermline

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Manchester versus $2,047 in Dunfermline.

Manchester $2,499
Dunfermline $2,047

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,623 in Manchester versus $3,016 in Dunfermline.

Manchester $3,623
Dunfermline $3,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,747 in Manchester versus $3,986 in Dunfermline.

Manchester $4,747
Dunfermline $3,986

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 84% above, Dunfermline 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.11

$20.15 £15.06

0.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.3

$79.1 £59.1

8.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.02

$9.59 £7.16

11.99%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.50

$4.37 £3.26

7.09%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$2.49 £1.86

-2.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.32 £0.99

22.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$5.69 £4.25

36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.01

$5.98 £4.46

12.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.92 £1.43

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.24 £0.93

51.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.39 £1.78

-18.83%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$4.12 £3.08

-0.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.18

$7.51 £5.61

27.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.71

$8.54 £6.38

5.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.51

$10.07 £7.52

53.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$2.37 £1.77

30.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.28 £0.95

23.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$2.88 £2.15

2.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.73 £2.04

22.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.13 £0.85

33.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.34 £1.00

0.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.25 £0.94

0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.63 £1.22

-24.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.96

$23.46 £17.53

2.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.13

$11.06 £8.26

-1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$2.19 £1.64

10.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.37

$2.48 £1.85

27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$3.17 £2.37

-13.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.6

$77.4 £57.8

39.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$4.60 £3.43

-1.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

$3.82 £2.85

-41.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.03

$20.40 £15.24

51.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.96 £1.46

9.18%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$37.6K £28.1K

2.31%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$39.3K £29.4K

1.85%

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

$252 £189

$238 £178

6.09%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$13.31 £9.94

21.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.57

$42.35 £31.64

-6.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.88

$48.25 £36.05

-11.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.49

$12.05 £9.00

49.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.04

$13.47 £10.06

-0.22%

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

$1,494 £1,116

$1,407 £1,051

6.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$19.1K £14.3K

3.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.4

$52.8 £39.46

58.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.10

$53.7 £40.10

-19.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.0

$100 £75.0

-5.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.1

$88.9 £66.4

19.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,334

$1,009 £754

76.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £913

$867 £647

41.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,189

$1,277 £954

129.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,419

$1,376 £1,028

38.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,487

$2,029 £1,516

130.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,285

$2,726 £2,036

61.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,536

$3,006 £2,246

12.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.4

-10.74%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dunfermline: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Dunfermline

$867 42.4% 29.1% $356

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Dunfermline

$298 14.6% 6.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Dunfermline

$294 14.4% 4.8% $15

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Dunfermline

$266 13% 10.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Dunfermline

$133 6.5% 9.7% $14

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Dunfermline

$114 5.6% 15.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Dunfermline

$75 3.7% 8.1% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,785 in Manchester and $1,009 in Dunfermline. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 13% 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: $86 in Manchester vs $79 in Dunfermline for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $266 per month, with Dunfermline cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Dunfermline

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

55,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Manchester Dunfermline 300 km

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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 Dunfermline: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunfermline wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Manchester. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dunfermline the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% 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: $1,785 in Manchester versus $1,009 in Dunfermline. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunfermline runs roughly 28% less than in Manchester. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,494 in Manchester versus $1,407 in Dunfermline. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Dunfermline 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.

Expats usually find Dunfermline gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.