Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Kingston upon Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $3,212 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
154

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Kingston upon Thames

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 Kingston upon Thames actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Manchester versus $3,212 in Kingston upon Thames.

Manchester $2,499
Kingston upon Thames $3,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,623 in Manchester versus $4,557 in Kingston upon Thames.

Manchester $3,623
Kingston upon Thames $4,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,747 in Manchester versus $5,901 in Kingston upon Thames.

Manchester $4,747
Kingston upon Thames $5,901

Living in Manchester costs roughly 22% less than in Kingston upon Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 84% above, Kingston upon Thames 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.10

$21.66 £16.17

-6.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.2

$78.7 £58.7

9.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.02

$9.85 £7.35

9.04%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.49

$5.33 £3.98

-12.20%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$3.33 £2.48

-26.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.78 £1.33

-8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$9.05 £6.76

-14.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.00

$9.29 £6.94

-27.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.59 £1.19

-5.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.72 £1.28

9.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.36 £1.76

-17.80%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$4.61 £3.44

-11.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.17

$10.51 £7.85

-8.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.71

$8.20 £6.12

9.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.51

$13.30 £9.93

15.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$3.00 £2.24

3.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.28 £0.95

23.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$2.89 £2.16

2.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.11 £1.58

58.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$2.16 £1.61

-30.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.83 £1.37

-26.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.15 £0.86

9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.73 £1.29

-28.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.95

$24.09 £17.99

-0.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.13

$11.14 £8.31

-2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$3.03 £2.26

-19.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.36

$3.18 £2.37

-0.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$2.39 £1.79

14.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.6

$85.9 £64.1

25.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$4.96 £3.71

-8.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

$2.61 £1.95

-14.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.01

$39.79 £29.71

-22.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.95 £1.45

9.74%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$38.4K £28.7K

0.04%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$39.9K £29.8K

0.40%

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

$252 £189

$313 £234

-19.30%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$15.88 £11.86

2.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.56

$40.18 £30.00

-1.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.86

$103 £77.2

-58.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.48

$10.84 £8.10

66.51%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.04

$17.85 £13.33

-24.71%

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

$1,494 £1,116

$2,089 £1,560

-28.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$23.7K £17.7K

-16.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.4

$93.2 £69.6

-10.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.09

$49.64 £37.06

-13.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £70.9

$94.3 £70.4

0.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.1

$108 £80.3

-1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,333

$2,201 £1,644

-18.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £913

$1,787 £1,334

-31.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,188

$3,699 £2,762

-20.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,418

$2,870 £2,143

-33.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,486

$10.3K £7,658

-54.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,283

$7,139 £5,331

-38.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,535

$5,239 £3,912

-35.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.12

-5.86%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.6% 46.2% $564

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Kingston upon Thames

$351 10.9% 10.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Kingston upon Thames

$369 11.5% 19.7% $61

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.3% 0.4% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Kingston upon Thames

$155 4.8% 5.3% $7.8

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Kingston upon Thames

$113 3.5% 15.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Kingston upon Thames

$139 4.3% 100% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,785 in Manchester and $2,201 in Kingston upon Thames. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston upon Thames pays 54% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $86 in Manchester vs $79 in Kingston upon Thames for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $298 per month, with Kingston upon Thames cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

43,013

💱 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

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Between locations

Manchester Kingston upon Thames 270 km

From you

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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 Kingston upon Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,499 in Manchester and $3,212 in Kingston upon Thames, so Manchester is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Manchester. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,785 in Manchester versus $2,201 in Kingston upon Thames. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kingston upon Thames runs roughly 20% less than in Manchester. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,499 per month in Manchester versus $3,212 in Kingston upon Thames – Manchester is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Manchester wins on affordability, Kingston upon Thames on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.