Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Durham

For one person, living is cheaper in Durham: $2,073 a month against $2,563 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,563

/mo nomad

Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Durham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,563 in Manchester versus $2,073 in Durham.

Manchester $2,563
Durham $2,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,739 in Manchester versus $3,286 in Durham.

Manchester $3,739
Durham $3,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,915 in Manchester versus $4,498 in Durham.

Manchester $4,915
Durham $4,498

Living in Manchester is roughly 24% more expensive than in Durham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 91% above, Durham 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.48 £14.72

$19.57 £14.79

-0.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.9 £65.7

$93.4 £70.6

-7.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 £7.98

$11.40 £8.61

-7.28%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.61

$4.56 £3.44

4.82%

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

$2.52 £1.90

$2.54 £1.92

-0.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.21

$2.04 £1.54

-21.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 £5.95

$6.08 £4.59

29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 £5.08

$5.33 £4.03

26.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.95 £1.47

-23.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.54 £1.17

26.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 £1.46

$3.03 £2.29

-36.30%

Eggs

$3.99 £3.02

$4.37 £3.30

-8.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 £7.21

$10.02 £7.57

-4.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 £6.77

$8.86 £6.69

1.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 £11.53

$21.35 £16.13

-28.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 £2.29

$2.93 £2.21

3.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.53 £1.91

-37.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 £2.28

$2.75 £2.08

9.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 £2.62

$5.08 £3.84

-31.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 £1.13

$1.56 £1.18

-4.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.70 £1.29

-23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.06 £0.80

14.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.96

$1.88 £1.42

-32.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.04 £17.41

$23.61 £17.84

-2.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.84 £8.19

$10.64 £8.04

1.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 £1.83

$3.31 £2.50

-26.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.15 £2.38

-3.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 £1.94

$3.23 £2.44

-20.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.7

$86.9 £65.7

19.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 £3.39

$6.39 £4.83

-29.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 £1.57

$1.93 £1.46

7.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 £22.46

$23.68 £17.89

25.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.59

$1.88 £1.42

12.23%

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

$38.8K £29.3K

$37.8K £28.6K

2.60%

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

$40.2K £30.4K

$41.1K £31.1K

-2.20%

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

$243 £184

$265 £200

-7.97%

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

$16.52 £12.48

$15.21 £11.49

8.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.77 £30.05

$42.95 £32.45

-7.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 £42.74

$46.78 £35.35

20.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 £13.63

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 £9.86

$12.51 £9.45

4.32%

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

$1,246 £941

$1,300 £982

-4.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £15.1K

$25.2K £19.1K

-20.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 £63.0

$106 £80.3

-21.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 £32.00

$71.4 £53.9

-40.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 £71.3

$114 £86.1

-17.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.8

$97.2 £73.5

5.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,384

$1,539 £1,163

18.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 £935

$743 £562

66.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,095 £2,339

$2,661 £2,011

16.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 £1,516

$1,565 £1,183

28.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,607 £3,481

$5,034 £3,804

-8.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,481 £3,386

$3,862 £2,919

16.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,438 £2,598

$2,064 £1,559

66.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.18

-6.95%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 5, 2026

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.4%

Durham

$743 35.7% 39.9% $494

Eating Out

Manchester

$314 12.5%

Durham

$305 14.6% 3% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$300 12%

Durham

$323 15.5% 7.7% $23

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$298 11.9%

Durham

$348 16.7% 16.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$145 5.8%

Durham

$175 8.4% 20.4% $30

Getting Around

Manchester

$129 5.2%

Durham

$116 5.6% 10.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$83 3.3%

Durham

$72 3.5% 13.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,832 in Manchester and $1,539 in Durham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 67% 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 $93.0 in Durham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $348 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Durham

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

42,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Manchester Durham 150 km

From you

Manchester
Durham

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 Durham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester and Durham differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,563 vs $2,073 including rent). Durham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 67% 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: $1,832 in Manchester versus $1,539 in Durham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,563 per month in Manchester versus $2,073 in Durham – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Durham runs roughly 20% less than in Manchester. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Durham 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.

Safety-wise, Manchester and Durham 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 Durham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.