Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Plymouth

For one person, living costs are similar in Manchester and in Plymouth: $2,532 and $2,602 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Plymouth
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Plymouth Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Plymouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Plymouth

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $2,602 in Plymouth, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Plymouth $2,602

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $3,589 in Plymouth, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Plymouth $3,589

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $4,576 in Plymouth, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Plymouth $4,576

Manchester is about 3% cheaper than Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Manchester and Plymouth sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Plymouth by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$22.12 £16.59

-8.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$82.4 £61.8

5.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.75 £8.06

0.74%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$5.02 £3.77

-4.18%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.10 £1.57

16.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.71 £1.28

-5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$6.28 £4.71

24.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$6.09 £4.57

6.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.47 £1.10

-1.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.23 £0.92

58.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$3.02 £2.26

-38.41%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$3.88 £2.91

4.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$10.24 £7.68

-4.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$8.51 £6.39

7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$13.56 £10.18

14.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.04 £1.53

56.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.44 £1.08

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$4.06 £3.05

-25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$3.96 £2.97

-15.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.90 £1.42

-18.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.41 £1.06

-7.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.75 £1.31

-30.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.47 £1.10

-12.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$24.20 £18.15

-2.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$7.19 £5.39

51.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.08 £2.31

-17.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$4.69 £3.52

-32.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$3.88 £2.91

-30.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$134 £100

-21.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$6.57 £4.93

-32.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.47 £1.85

-10.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.01 £1.51

1.49%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.7K £29.0K

1.23%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$40.6K £30.4K

-0.75%

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

$252 £189

$463 £347

-45.60%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$32.48 £24.37

-48.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$63.2 £47.39

-35.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$43.55 £32.68

26.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

$17.83 £13.37

1.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$11.52 £8.64

15.10%

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

$1,252 £939

$2,692 £2,019

-53.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$28.1K £21.1K

-29.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$84.1 £63.1

0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$57.1 £42.86

-25.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$93.6 £70.2

-1.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$80.7 £60.5

31.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,044 £783

71.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$1,043 £782

19.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$2,243 £1,683

34.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$1,415 £1,062

38.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$4,882 £3,662

-6.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$3,369 £2,528

29.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$3,046 £2,285

13.61%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Plymouth: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Plymouth

$1K 40.1% 16% $199

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Plymouth

$328 12.6% 2.5% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Plymouth

$558 21.5% 80.7% $249

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Plymouth

$296 11.4% 1.8% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Plymouth

$142 5.5% 3.1% $4.5

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Plymouth

$168 6.5% 27.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Plymouth

$67 2.6% 18.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Manchester versus $1,044 in Plymouth. 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 14% higher in Manchester, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Manchester versus $82.0 in Plymouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $296 – making Plymouth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Plymouth

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

264,695

💱 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 Plymouth 370 km

From you

Manchester
Plymouth

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 Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Plymouth is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,798 per month in Manchester and $3,903 in Plymouth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manchester, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,252 per month in Manchester and $2,692 in Plymouth. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Plymouth – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Manchester, where all-in costs run around $2,532, than in Plymouth at $2,602. In Manchester it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plymouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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