Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Livingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Livingston: $2,109 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Livingston
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Livingston Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Livingston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,109

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Livingston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Manchester versus $2,109 in Livingston.

Manchester $2,499
Livingston $2,109

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,623 in Manchester versus $3,288 in Livingston.

Manchester $3,623
Livingston $3,288

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,747 in Manchester versus $4,467 in Livingston.

Manchester $4,747
Livingston $4,467

Living in Manchester is roughly 19% more expensive than in Livingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 84% above, Livingston 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.08

$19.94 £14.87

1.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.1

$100 £74.8

-14.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.01

$10.45 £7.79

2.78%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.49

$5.24 £3.91

-10.69%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$2.72 £2.03

-10.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.26 £1.69

-28.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.80

$6.77 £5.05

14.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.00

$6.70 £4.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.43 £1.07

5.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.40

$1.94 £1.45

-3.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.22 £1.66

-12.61%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$3.66 £2.73

11.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.16

$9.00 £6.71

6.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.70

$8.86 £6.61

1.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.49

$14.53 £10.83

6.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.30

$2.91 £2.17

6.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.82 £1.36

-13.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$2.87 £2.14

2.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$3.41 £2.54

-1.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.71 £1.28

-11.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.00

$1.38 £1.03

-2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.21 £0.90

4.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.56 £1.16

-21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.93

$20.78 £15.49

15.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.12

$10.81 £8.06

0.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$3.06 £2.28

-20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.36

$3.23 £2.41

-1.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$3.49 £2.60

-21.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.4

$95.2 £71.0

13.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$5.29 £3.94

-14.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.65

$1.61 £1.20

37.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £22.98

$27.76 £20.70

11.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.59

$2.07 £1.54

3.38%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$38.8K £28.9K

-0.82%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$40.0K £29.8K

0.22%

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

$252 £188

$321 £240

-21.41%

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

$16.23 £12.10

$16.94 £12.63

-4.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.51

$41.06 £30.61

-3.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.81

$46.04 £34.33

-7.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.46

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.02

$10.51 £7.84

27.88%

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

$1,494 £1,114

$1,245 £929

19.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$17.5K £13.1K

12.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.3

$92.2 £68.7

-9.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.04

$47.80 £35.64

-10.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £70.8

$108 £80.8

-12.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.0

$96.1 £71.7

10.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,331

$852 £635

109.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £911

$763 £569

60.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,185

$1,930 £1,439

51.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,416

$1,502 £1,120

26.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,480

$4,998 £3,726

-6.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,278

$3,861 £2,878

13.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,531

$3,972 £2,961

-14.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.15

-6.41%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Livingston: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Livingston

$763 36.2% 37.6% $459

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Livingston

$321 15.2% 0.7% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Livingston

$379 18% 23% $71

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Livingston

$301 14.3% 0.8% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Livingston

$155 7.4% 5.2% $7.7

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Livingston

$123 5.8% 8.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Livingston

$67 3.2% 3.6% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,785 in Manchester and $852 in Livingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 17% 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 $100 in Livingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $301 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Livingston

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

56,840

💱 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 Livingston 280 km

From you

Manchester
Livingston

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 Livingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Livingston wins on cost – living expenses run 16% 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 15% 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 $852 in Livingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Livingston runs roughly 12% 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 $2,109 in Livingston – Livingston is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Livingston 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.