Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Reading Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Reading

😐 Solo nomad: Manchester is 1.8% more expensive than Reading without rent, and 1.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Manchester is 0.9% more expensive than Reading without rent, and 3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Manchester
Reading
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.43 £15.04
$27.14 £19.97
-24.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$95.8 £70.5
$96.6 £71.1
-0.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.68 £7.86
$10.01 £7.37
6.69%
Cappuccino
$5.05 £3.72
$4.83 £3.56
4.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 £1.89
$3.35 £2.47
-23.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 £1.28
$2.97 £2.18
-41.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.26 £5.34
$8.37 £6.16
-13.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.48 £5.51
$6.94 £5.11
7.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Manchester
Reading
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 £1.2
$1.37 £1.01
18.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 £1.26
$1.31 £0.96
31.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 £1.6
$2.69 £1.98
-19.33%
Eggs
$3.89 £2.86
$3.66 £2.69
6.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.14 £8.93
$9.96 £7.33
21.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.7 £7.14
$8.29 £6.1
17.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.94 £12.46
$12.98 £9.55
30.51%
Apples (1kg)
$3.3 £2.43
$3.07 £2.26
7.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 £1.37
$1.52 £1.12
23.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.95 £2.91
$2.78 £2.05
42.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.35 £3.2
$3.28 £2.41
32.62%
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 £1.58
$1.5 £1.1
42.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 £1.33
$1.38 £1.02
31.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 £0.97
$0.92 £0.68
42.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.5 £1.1
$1.56 £1.15
-3.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.67 £13.74
$20.3 £14.94
-8.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.44 £7.68
$13.48 £9.92
-22.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.58 £1.9
$2.24 £1.65
15.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 £2.54
$3.48 £2.56
-0.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Manchester
Reading
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.74 £2.02
$2.71 £1.99
1.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$123 £90.2
$88 £64.7
39.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.3 £3.9
$6.25 £4.6
-15.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.92 £2.15
$1.74 £1.28
67.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.89 £24.94
$15.12 £11.13
124.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 £1.38
$1.86 £1.37
1.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.2K
$39.1K £28.8K
-1.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.1K
$41.2K £30.3K
-0.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manchester
Reading
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$293 £215
$221 £162
32.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.46 £16.53
$19.18 £14.11
17.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.09 £31.71
$43.33 £31.88
-0.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Manchester
Reading
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.03 £30.19
$47.42 £34.9
-13.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.53 £11.43
$19.88 £14.63
-21.88%
Cinema Ticket
$13.75 £10.12
$13.43 £9.88
2.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Manchester
Reading
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,981 £1,458
$1,930 £1,420
2.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.6K £15.2K
$25.4K £18.7K
-18.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Manchester
Reading
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.8 £67.5
$81.4 £59.9
12.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 £30.49
$49.95 £36.75
-17.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.9 £64.7
$113 £83.3
-22.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 £78
$99.1 £72.9
7.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Manchester
Reading
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 £1,174
$1,801 £1,325
-11.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,267 £932
$1,426 £1,050
-11.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,742 £2,018
$3,036 £2,234
-9.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,072 £1,525
$2,423 £1,783
-14.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,685 £4,184
$5,731 £4,218
-0.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,908 £2,876
$5,414 £3,984
-27.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Manchester
Reading
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,332 £2,452
$3,575 £2,631
-6.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.92
5.53
7.05%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

Last update for Reading: October 28, 2025

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