Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Port Vila

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,544 a month against $3,148 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Port Vila

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

A single person spends $2,544 per month in Manchester vs $3,148 in Port Vila, rent included.

Manchester $2,544
Port Vila $3,148

A couple spends around $3,691 per month in Manchester vs $4,290 in Port Vila, rent included.

Manchester $3,691
Port Vila $4,290

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $5,432 in Port Vila, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Port Vila $5,432

Manchester is about 19% cheaper than Port Vila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Manchester and Port Vila sit above the global median – Manchester by 88%, Port Vila by 133%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 £14.74

$12.57 VUV 1,474

56.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$55.9 VUV 6,558

56.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.85

$14.47 VUV 1,697

-27.64%

Cappuccino

$4.85 £3.64

$3.99 VUV 468

21.55%

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

$2.49 £1.87

$2.30 VUV 270

8.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.35 VUV 276

-28.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 £5.81

$5.14 VUV 603

50.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 £5.04

$7.16 VUV 839

-6.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.73 VUV 320

-47.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.97 VUV 231

-1.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$3.63 VUV 426

-48.48%

Eggs

$3.97 £2.98

$6.30 VUV 739

-36.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 £7.05

$17.57 VUV 2,061

-46.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 £6.77

$16.60 VUV 1,947

-45.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 £11.55

$13.68 VUV 1,604

12.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.32

$7.13 VUV 837

-56.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.15 VUV 252

-26.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

$3.86 VUV 453

-21.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 £2.52

$9.44 VUV 1,107

-64.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$9.13 VUV 1,071

-82.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$3.47 VUV 407

-60.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$2.58 VUV 303

-53.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.20 VUV 140

5.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.80 £17.85

$9.06 VUV 1,063

162.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 £8.34

$12.51 VUV 1,467

-11.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.88

$2.45 VUV 287

2.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.70 VUV 316

15.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 £2.00

$1.29 VUV 151

106.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £77.8

$68.6 VUV 8,052

51.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 £3.39

$2.57 VUV 302

75.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 £1.64

$0.88 VUV 103

147.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.56 £22.18

$5.19 VUV 609

469.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.76 VUV 206

19.89%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$22.8K VUV 2.7M

63.98%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$37.9K VUV 4.5M

6.24%

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

$250 £188

$636 VUV 74.6K

-60.65%

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

$16.38 £12.29

$22.30 VUV 2,615

-26.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.35 £30.27

$362 VUV 42.4K

-88.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 £41.65

$67.7 VUV 7,936

-17.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 £13.75

$16.93 VUV 1,986

8.27%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 £9.84

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

$1,240 £930

$631 VUV 74.0K

96.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K £14.6K

$6,973 VUV 818.0K

178.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.5 £63.4

$41.45 VUV 4,862

103.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 £31.05

$67.0 VUV 7,856

-38.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 £68.7

$86.0 VUV 10.1K

6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.6

$102 VUV 12.0K

0.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 £1,371

$1,549 VUV 181.7K

17.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 £950

$1,120 VUV 131.3K

13.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 £2,284

$3,413 VUV 400.3K

-10.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 £1,488

$1,886 VUV 221.3K

5.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,537 £3,403

$5,917 VUV 694.1K

-23.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,324 £3,244

$2,162 VUV 253.6K

100.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 £2,498

$678 VUV 79.5K

391.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

6.18

-22.01%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Last update for Port Vila: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8%

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.6% 11.6% $147

Eating Out

Manchester

$316 12.4%

Port Vila

$250 8% 20.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$307 12.1%

Port Vila

$1K 32.4% 232% $713

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 11.8%

Port Vila

$476 15.1% 59.4% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$144 5.7%

Port Vila

$134 4.2% 7.5% $11

Getting Around

Manchester

$130 5.1%

Port Vila

$81 2.6% 37.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2% 17.2% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,827 in Manchester versus $1,549 in Port Vila. 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 391% 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 $88.0 in Manchester versus $56.0 in Port Vila. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Manchester vs $476 in Port Vila – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

20:17 8:17 PM

10 h ahead of Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

44,039 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VUV, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Manchester Port Vila 15,960 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Manchester
Port Vila

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 Port Vila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Port Vila is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,816 per month in Manchester and $4,722 in Port Vila. 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 $1,240 per month in Manchester and $631 in Port Vila. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Port Vila, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,544 in Manchester and $3,148 in Port Vila. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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