Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Fareham

For one person, living costs are similar in Manchester and in Fareham: $2,544 and $2,498 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Fareham
Learn more

Fareham Living Index

Jump to prices

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Fareham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Fareham

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

A single person spends $2,544 per month in Manchester vs $2,498 in Fareham, rent included.

Manchester $2,544
Fareham $2,498

A couple spends around $3,691 per month in Manchester vs $3,665 in Fareham, rent included.

Manchester $3,691
Fareham $3,665

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $4,833 in Fareham, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Fareham $4,833

Manchester costs about 2% more than Fareham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Fareham sit above the global median – Manchester by 88%, Fareham by 85%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 £14.74

$26.91 £20.19

-27.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$88.5 £66.4

-0.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.85

$10.83 £8.12

-3.32%

Cappuccino

$4.85 £3.64

$5.15 £3.87

-5.83%

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

$2.49 £1.87

$3.02 £2.26

-17.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.24 £1.68

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 £5.81

$7.50 £5.63

3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 £5.04

$6.74 £5.06

-0.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.88 £1.41

-23.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.67 £1.25

16.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.17 £1.63

-13.82%

Eggs

$3.97 £2.98

$4.37 £3.28

-9.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 £7.05

$9.82 £7.37

-4.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 £6.77

$9.03 £6.77

-0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 £11.55

$14.22 £10.67

8.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.32

$2.91 £2.18

6.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.68 £1.26

-5.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

$2.77 £2.08

9.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 £2.52

$3.35 £2.51

0.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.81 £1.36

-13.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.55 £1.16

-12.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.15 £0.86

4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.65 £1.24

-23.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.80 £17.85

$22.52 £16.90

5.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 £8.34

$10.98 £8.24

1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.88

$2.99 £2.24

-16.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 £2.00

$3.53 £2.65

-24.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £77.8

$97.4 £73.1

6.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 £3.39

$4.21 £3.16

7.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 £1.64

$2.04 £1.53

6.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.56 £22.18

$31.62 £23.72

-6.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$2.12 £1.59

-0.47%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$38.3K £28.7K

-2.21%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$40.6K £30.5K

-0.70%

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

$250 £188

$283 £212

-11.56%

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

$16.38 £12.29

$16.45 £12.34

-0.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.35 £30.27

$47.17 £35.39

-14.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 £41.65

$45.11 £33.84

23.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 £13.75

$33.42 £25.07

-45.15%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 £9.84

$15.80 £11.86

-17.03%

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

$1,240 £930

$1,564 £1,173

-20.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K £14.6K

$17.6K £13.2K

10.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.5 £63.4

$102 £76.4

-17.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 £31.05

$45.28 £33.97

-8.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 £68.7

$100 £75.3

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.6

$90.3 £67.8

14.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 £1,371

$1,238 £929

47.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 £950

$1,107 £831

14.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 £2,284

$1,934 £1,451

57.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 £1,488

$1,757 £1,318

12.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,537 £3,403

$5,058 £3,795

-10.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,324 £3,244

$3,864 £2,899

11.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 £2,498

$3,121 £2,342

6.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

4.96

-2.82%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Last update for Fareham: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8%

Fareham

$1.1K 44.3% 12.6% $159

Eating Out

Manchester

$316 12.4%

Fareham

$382 15.3% 20.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$307 12.1%

Fareham

$346 13.9% 12.9% $40

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 11.8%

Fareham

$307 12.3% 2.9% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$144 5.7%

Fareham

$152 6.1% 5.2% $7.6

Getting Around

Manchester

$130 5.1%

Fareham

$126 5% 3% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Fareham

$77 3.1% 6.1% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,827 in Manchester versus $1,238 in Fareham. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Manchester, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Manchester versus $88.0 in Fareham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $307 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Fareham

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

111,266

💱 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 Fareham 300 km

From you

Manchester
Fareham

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 Fareham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester costs about 2% more than Fareham, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,816 per month in Manchester and $3,746 in Fareham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fareham, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Manchester and $88.0 in Fareham. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,544 in Manchester and $2,498 in Fareham. That's a gap of about 2%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Fareham, where all-in costs run around $2,498, than in Manchester at $2,544. In Fareham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fareham costs $2,498 versus $2,544 in Manchester. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Fareham. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manchester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.