Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Middlesbrough

For one person, living is cheaper in Middlesbrough: $2,035 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Middlesbrough
Learn more

Middlesbrough Living Index

Jump to prices

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Middlesbrough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Middlesbrough

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

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Manchester vs $2,035 in Middlesbrough, rent included.

Manchester $2,499
Middlesbrough $2,035

A couple spends around $3,623 per month in Manchester vs $2,987 in Middlesbrough, rent included.

Manchester $3,623
Middlesbrough $2,987

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Manchester vs $3,940 in Middlesbrough, rent included.

Manchester $4,747
Middlesbrough $3,940

Manchester costs about 23% more than Middlesbrough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Manchester and Middlesbrough sit above the global median – Manchester by 84%, Middlesbrough by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.08

$23.90 £17.82

-15.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.1

$72.3 £53.9

18.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.01

$10.48 £7.82

2.48%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.49

$4.64 £3.46

0.86%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$2.43 £1.81

0.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.82 £1.36

-10.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.80

$4.79 £3.57

62.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.00

$7.15 £5.33

-6.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.25 £0.93

20.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.40

$1.36 £1.01

38.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.43 £1.82

-20.16%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$3.72 £2.77

9.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.16

$7.62 £5.68

26.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.70

$7.13 £5.31

25.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.49

$14.20 £10.59

8.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.30

$2.51 £1.87

23.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$2.49 £1.86

-36.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$2.65 £1.97

11.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.61 £1.95

28.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.74 £1.29

-13.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.00

$1.60 £1.19

-15.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.21 £0.90

4.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$3.06 £2.28

-59.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.93

$22.23 £16.58

8.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.12

$9.26 £6.91

17.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$4.39 £3.27

-44.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.36

$3.66 £2.73

-13.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$4.02 £3.00

-32.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.4

$92.3 £68.8

16.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$4.42 £3.29

2.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £22.98

$26.95 £20.09

14.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.59

$1.94 £1.45

10.31%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$39.3K £29.3K

-2.19%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$41.0K £30.6K

-2.37%

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

$252 £188

$346 £258

-27.08%

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

$16.23 £12.10

$16.75 £12.49

-3.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.51

$41.43 £30.89

-4.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.81

$48.63 £36.25

-12.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.46

$33.21 £24.76

-45.65%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.02

$14.44 £10.77

-6.93%

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

$1,494 £1,114

$1,551 £1,157

-3.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$39.6K £29.5K

-50.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.3

$108 £80.3

-22.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.04

$52.5 £39.13

-18.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £70.8

$113 £84.2

-15.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.0

$107 £79.8

-1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,331

$867 £647

105.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £911

$635 £473

92.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,185

$1,151 £858

154.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,416

$995 £742

90.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,480

$2,351 £1,753

98.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,278

$1,647 £1,228

167.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,531

$2,318 £1,728

46.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.64

-14.54%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Middlesbrough: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Middlesbrough

$635 31.2% 48.1% $588

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Middlesbrough

$334 16.4% 4.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Middlesbrough

$404 19.9% 31.2% $96

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Middlesbrough

$301 14.8% 0.7% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Middlesbrough

$171 8.4% 16.1% $24

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Middlesbrough

$113 * 5.5% 16.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Middlesbrough

$78 3.8% 11.4% $8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,785 in Manchester versus $867 in Middlesbrough. 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 46% higher in Manchester. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester versus $72 in Middlesbrough. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Manchester vs $301 in Middlesbrough – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Middlesbrough

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

139,000

💱 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 Middlesbrough 140 km

From you

Manchester
Middlesbrough

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 Middlesbrough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Manchester and $3,052 in Middlesbrough. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Middlesbrough, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $867 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,499 in Manchester and $2,035 in Middlesbrough. That makes Middlesbrough about 19% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,494 per month in Manchester and $1,551 in Middlesbrough. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,499 in Manchester and $2,035 in Middlesbrough, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Manchester has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,035 in Middlesbrough to $2,499 in Manchester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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