Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Motherwell

For one person, living is cheaper in Motherwell: $2,298 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Motherwell
Learn more

Motherwell Living Index

Jump to prices

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Motherwell

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Motherwell

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

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Manchester vs $2,298 in Motherwell, rent included.

Manchester $2,499
Motherwell $2,298

A couple spends around $3,623 per month in Manchester vs $3,384 in Motherwell, rent included.

Manchester $3,623
Motherwell $3,384

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Manchester vs $4,471 in Motherwell, rent included.

Manchester $4,747
Motherwell $4,471

Manchester costs about 9% more than Motherwell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Motherwell sit above the global median – Manchester by 84%, Motherwell by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.22

$19.77 £14.88

2.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.7

$72.2 £54.4

19.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.08

$10.67 £8.03

0.66%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.52

$4.95 £3.73

-5.45%

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

$2.44 £1.84

$2.24 £1.69

8.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.81 £1.36

-10.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.85

$5.28 £3.98

47.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.04

$6.63 £4.99

1.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.38 £1.04

9.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.42

$1.63 £1.23

15.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$2.29 £1.73

-15.28%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.07

$4.03 £3.03

1.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.23

$9.11 £6.85

5.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.76

$9.28 £6.99

-3.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.60

$17.04 £12.83

-9.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.33

$2.94 £2.21

5.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.55 £1.16

1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$2.82 £2.12

4.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.52

$3.29 £2.47

1.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.91 £1.44

-20.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.43 £1.08

-5.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.16 £0.88

8.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.93

$1.57 £1.18

-21.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £18.10

$20.81 £15.66

15.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.19

$10.50 £7.90

3.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.83

$3.04 £2.29

-20.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$3.34 £2.51

-5.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.06

$3.55 £2.67

-23.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £81.2

$96.9 £72.9

11.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.40

$5.97 £4.49

-24.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.67

$1.14 £0.86

94.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.20

$27.51 £20.70

12.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.61

$2.18 £1.64

-1.83%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$39.2K £29.5K

-1.81%

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

$40.0K £30.1K

$40.2K £30.2K

-0.25%

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

$252 £190

$248 £186

1.91%

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

$16.23 £12.21

$20.43 £15.37

-20.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.79

$42.97 £32.34

-7.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £32.12

$46.89 £35.29

-9.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.59

$6.46 £4.86

179.41%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.12

$11.85 £8.92

13.42%

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

$1,494 £1,125

$924 £695

61.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.8K

$17.8K £13.4K

10.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.9

$118 £88.5

-28.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.34

$48.08 £36.19

-10.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.5

$104 £78.5

-8.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$90.6 £68.2

16.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,344

$1,244 £936

43.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £920

$1,018 £767

20.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,205

$2,121 £1,597

38.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,429

$1,690 £1,272

12.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,513

$4,980 £3,748

-6.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,309

$3,852 £2,899

14.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,555

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

-3.60%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Motherwell: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Motherwell

$1K 44.3% 16.7% $204

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Motherwell

$305 13.3% 4.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Motherwell

$311 13.5% 0.9% $2.8

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Motherwell

$307 13.4% 2.7% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Motherwell

$162 7.1% 10.1% $15

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Motherwell

$123 5.4% 8.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Motherwell

$71 3.1% 1.5% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,785 in Manchester versus $1,244 in Motherwell. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester versus $72 in Motherwell. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Manchester vs $307 in Motherwell – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Motherwell

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

32,120

💱 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 Motherwell 280 km

From you

Manchester
Motherwell

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 Motherwell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Manchester and $3,446 in Motherwell. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Motherwell, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,244 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Kindergarten costs $1,494 per month in Manchester and $924 in Motherwell. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Manchester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Families tend to lean toward Motherwell – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.