Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Livingston Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Livingston

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,648 in Manchester versus $2,216 in Livingston.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,928 in Manchester versus $3,443 in Livingston.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,208 in Manchester versus $4,669 in Livingston.

Living in Manchester is roughly 19% more expensive than in Livingston, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 99% above, Livingston 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.42 £15.14

$20.05 £14.86

1.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.4 £70.0

0.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 £8.16

$9.82 £7.28

12.02%

Cappuccino

$5.14 £3.81

$4.80 £3.56

7.08%

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

$2.63 £1.95

$2.73 £2.03

-3.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.25

$2.12 £1.57

-20.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 £5.61

$6.97 £5.17

8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 £5.51

$6.59 £4.88

12.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.63 £1.21

4.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 £1.31

$1.66 £1.23

6.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 £1.66

$2.16 £1.60

3.70%

Eggs

$4.09 £3.03

$3.56 £2.64

14.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.15 £9.01

$11.06 £8.20

9.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 £6.98

$9.20 £6.82

2.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.15 £12.71

$16.24 £12.03

5.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 £2.47

$3.17 £2.35

5.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 £1.33

$1.63 £1.21

9.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 £2.91

$2.75 £2.04

42.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 £3.12

$3.77 £2.80

11.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.52

$1.76 £1.31

16.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 £1.40

$1.43 £1.06

32.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.93

$1.16 £0.86

8.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.11

$1.65 £1.23

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.00 £14.09

$18.91 £14.01

0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.29 £7.63

$10.68 £7.91

-3.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 £1.91

$2.63 £1.95

-1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 £2.63

$3.42 £2.53

3.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 £1.98

$3.28 £2.43

-18.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 £91.5

$74.9 £55.5

64.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 £3.94

$5.45 £4.04

-2.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.85 £2.11

$1.23 £0.91

131.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.57 £25.63

$22.03 £16.33

56.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.99 £1.48

-1.01%

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

$37.7K £27.9K

$38.9K £28.9K

-3.15%

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

$40.5K £30.0K

$39.7K £29.4K

1.86%

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

$303 £224

$381 £282

-20.53%

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

$22.65 £16.79

$17.55 £13.01

29.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.94 £31.82

$45.47 £33.70

-5.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.89 £30.31

$61.0 £45.19

-32.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 £11.60

$34.29 £25.42

-54.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.81 £10.24

$10.77 £7.98

28.23%

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

$1,956 £1,450

$1,249 £926

56.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K £15.8K

$18.7K £13.9K

14.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 £65.6

$105 £78.2

-16.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.00 £31.13

$55.2 £40.92

-23.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 £64.8

$116 £86.2

-24.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 £80.6

$81.6 £60.5

33.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 £1,203

$891 £661

82.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 £929

$769 £570

62.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,724 £2,019

$1,964 £1,456

38.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 £1,521

$1,579 £1,170

29.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,997 £3,704

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,610 £3,417

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,183 £2,359

$3,983 £2,952

-20.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.7

3.86%

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

Last update for Manchester: July 26, 2026

Last update for Livingston: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,623 in Manchester and $891 in Livingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $94.0 in Manchester vs $94.0 in Livingston. Groceries flip the comparison at $333 vs $313, with Livingston cheaper for home cooking.

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 Livingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Livingston wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Manchester. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Livingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Livingston. 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: $1,623 in Manchester versus $891 in Livingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,956 in Manchester versus $1,249 in Livingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Manchester. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,216 in Livingston versus $2,648 in Manchester, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Livingston but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Livingston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Livingston delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,216 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Livingston hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Livingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.