Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Exeter

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $2,571 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $860 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Exeter

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Manchester versus $2,571 in Exeter.

Manchester $2,499
Exeter $2,571

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,623 in Manchester versus $3,846 in Exeter.

Manchester $3,623
Exeter $3,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,747 in Manchester versus $5,121 in Exeter.

Manchester $4,747
Exeter $5,121

Living in Manchester costs roughly 3% less than in Exeter, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 84% above, Exeter 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.10

$19.92 £14.88

1.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.2

$97.8 £73.1

-12.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.02

$9.57 £7.15

12.23%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.49

$4.96 £3.70

-5.65%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$3.17 £2.36

-23.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.51 £1.87

-35.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$7.45 £5.57

4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.00

$6.16 £4.60

8.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.52 £1.14

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.68 £1.25

11.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.78 £1.33

8.99%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$4.30 £3.21

-5.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.17

$8.70 £6.50

10.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.71

$8.71 £6.51

3.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.51

$23.73 £17.72

-35.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$3.12 £2.33

-0.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.43 £1.06

10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$2.32 £1.73

27.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$3.19 £2.38

5.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$2.27 £1.70

-33.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.97 £1.47

-31.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.61 £1.20

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.95 £1.45

-36.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.95

$23.49 £17.54

2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.13

$9.54 £7.12

14.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$3.74 £2.79

-35.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.36

$4.42 £3.30

-28.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$3.92 £2.93

-30.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.6

$112 £83.6

-3.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$5.75 £4.29

-21.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

$2.53 £1.89

-12.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.01

$23.92 £17.86

28.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.04 £1.53

4.90%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$38.7K £28.9K

-0.60%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$40.1K £30.0K

-0.24%

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

$252 £189

$469 £350

-46.13%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$15.97 £11.93

1.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.56

$47.00 £35.09

-15.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.86

$39.72 £29.66

7.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.48

$13.18 £9.84

36.95%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.04

$12.62 £9.42

6.50%

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

$1,494 £1,116

$2,180 £1,628

-31.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$17.6K £13.2K

11.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.4

$68.0 £50.8

22.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.09

$31.16 £23.26

37.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £70.9

$105 £78.7

-9.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.1

$74.2 £55.4

42.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,333

$1,381 £1,031

29.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £913

$1,050 £784

16.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,188

$2,160 £1,613

35.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,418

$1,946 £1,453

-2.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,486

$5,743 £4,288

-18.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,283

$4,565 £3,409

-3.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,535

$3,062 £2,286

10.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.11

-5.68%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Exeter

$1K 40.8% 14.1% $173

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Exeter

$320 12.4% 0.4% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Exeter

$532 20.7% 72.4% $223

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Exeter

$334 13% 11.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Exeter

$125 4.9% 14.9% $22

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Exeter

$146 5.7% 8.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Exeter

$65 2.5% 6.6% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,785 in Manchester and $1,381 in Exeter. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $86 in Manchester vs $98 in Exeter for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $334 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Exeter

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

130,800

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manchester Exeter 320 km

From you

Manchester
Exeter

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 Exeter: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,499 in Manchester and $2,571 in Exeter, so Manchester is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% 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 $1,381 in Exeter. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Manchester – a meal for two runs $86 versus $98 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,499 per month in Manchester versus $2,571 in Exeter – Manchester is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.