Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Durham Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Durham

😐 Solo nomad: Manchester is 25.9% more expensive than Durham without rent, and 33.6% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Manchester is 1.8% cheaper than Durham without rent, and 31.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Manchester
Durham
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.43 £15.04
$19.19 £14.12
6.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$95.8 £70.5
$96.8 £71.3
-1.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.68 £7.86
$9.94 £7.32
7.44%
Cappuccino
$5.05 £3.72
$4.27 £3.14
18.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 £1.89
$2.47 £1.81
4.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 £1.28
$1.94 £1.43
-10.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.26 £5.34
$6.07 £4.46
19.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.48 £5.51
$5.55 £4.08
34.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Manchester
Durham
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 £1.2
$1.72 £1.27
-5.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 £1.26
$1.68 £1.24
2.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 £1.6
$2.53 £1.86
-14.23%
Eggs
$3.89 £2.86
$4.21 £3.1
-7.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.14 £8.93
$9.19 £6.77
32.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.7 £7.14
$7.94 £5.84
22.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.94 £12.46
$9.24 £6.8
83.33%
Apples (1kg)
$3.3 £2.43
$3.55 £2.61
-7.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 £1.37
$2.16 £1.59
-13.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.95 £2.91
$3.25 £2.39
21.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.35 £3.2
$3.48 £2.56
25.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 £1.58
$1.2 £0.88
78.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 £1.33
$1.57 £1.15
15.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 £0.97
$1 £0.74
31.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.5 £1.1
$1.75 £1.29
-14.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.67 £13.74
$22.71 £16.71
-17.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.44 £7.68
$10.69 £7.86
-2.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.58 £1.9
$3 £2.21
-14.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 £2.54
$2.86 £2.11
20.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Manchester
Durham
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.74 £2.02
$3.21 £2.36
-14.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$123 £90.2
$54 £39.77
126.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.3 £3.9
$4.73 £3.48
12.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.92 £2.15
$1.54 £1.13
89.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.89 £24.94
$22.99 £16.92
47.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 £1.38
$1.99 £1.47
-5.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.2K
$36K £26.5K
6.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.1K
$39.6K £29.2K
3.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manchester
Durham
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$293 £215
$279 £206
4.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.46 £16.53
$15.65 £11.52
43.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.09 £31.71
$34 £25.02
26.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Manchester
Durham
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.03 £30.19
$50.3 £36.99
-18.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.53 £11.43
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.75 £10.12
$12.7 £9.34
8.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Manchester
Durham
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,981 £1,458
$1,579 £1,162
25.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.6K £15.2K
$18.3K £13.5K
12.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Manchester
Durham
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.8 £67.5
$102 £75.3
-10.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 £30.49
$61.1 £44.94
-32.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.9 £64.7
$124 £91.2
-29.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 £78
$89.4 £65.8
18.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Manchester
Durham
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 £1,174
$1,463 £1,077
9.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,267 £932
$836 £615
51.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,742 £2,018
$2,567 £1,889
6.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,072 £1,525
$1,245 £916
66.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,685 £4,184
$4,127 £3,037
37.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,908 £2,876
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Manchester
Durham
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,332 £2,452
$1,510 £1,111
120.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.92
5.45
8.62%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

Last update for Durham: October 27, 2025

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