Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Solihull

For one person, living costs are similar in Manchester and in Solihull: $2,532 and $2,518 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Solihull
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Solihull Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Solihull

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Solihull

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $2,518 in Solihull, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Solihull $2,518

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $3,719 in Solihull, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Solihull $3,719

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $4,921 in Solihull, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Solihull $4,921

Manchester costs about 1% more than Solihull, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Manchester and Solihull sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Solihull by 86%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$27.07 £20.30

-25.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$80.0 £60.0

8.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.47 £7.85

3.44%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.90 £3.68

-1.84%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.50 £1.88

-2.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.10 £1.58

-22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$5.68 £4.26

37.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$5.59 £4.19

15.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.50 £1.13

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.85 £1.39

5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.76 £1.32

5.68%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$9.28 £6.96

5.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$8.24 £6.18

10.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$12.59 £9.45

23.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.30 £2.47

-3.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.55 £1.17

-1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$1.83 £1.37

65.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$3.52 £2.64

-5.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.43 £1.07

8.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.55 £1.16

-16.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.30 £0.97

-6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.26 £0.95

1.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.39 £17.55

1.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$8.55 £6.41

27.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$2.22 £1.67

14.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$1.94 £1.46

62.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$2.70 £2.02

-0.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$4.11 £3.09

7.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.91 £2.93

-43.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$31.77 £23.84

-4.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.07 £1.55

-1.45%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.7K £29.0K

1.15%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$40.9K £30.7K

-1.49%

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

$252 £189

$343 £258

-26.71%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$17.19 £12.89

-3.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$46.22 £34.67

-12.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$46.27 £34.72

19.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$11.17 £8.38

18.71%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,446 £1,085

-13.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$24.4K £18.3K

-18.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$84.9 £63.7

-0.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$54.1 £40.58

-21.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$109 £81.4

-15.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$111 £83.6

-4.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,049 £787

70.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$1,207 £906

2.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$2,134 £1,601

41.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$2,138 £1,604

-8.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$5,479 £4,111

-16.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$3,599 £2,700

20.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$4,759 £3,570

-27.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.21

-7.49%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Solihull: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Solihull

$1.2K 47.9% 2.8% $35

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Solihull

$365 14.5% 13.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Solihull

$407 16.2% 31.7% $98

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Solihull

$274 10.9% 9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Solihull

$162 6.4% 10.3% $15

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Solihull

$34 * 1.4% 73.8% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Solihull

$69 2.7% 15.9% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Manchester versus $1,049 in Solihull. 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 38% higher in Solihull, 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 $80.0 in Solihull. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $274 – making Solihull the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Solihull

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

206,091

💱 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

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Manchester Solihull 120 km

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Manchester
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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 Solihull: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,798 per month in Manchester and $3,776 in Solihull. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,532 in Manchester and $2,518 in Solihull. That's a gap of about 1%.

Kindergarten costs $1,252 per month in Manchester and $1,446 in Solihull. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Solihull, where all-in costs run around $2,518, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Solihull it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Solihull – 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 Solihull. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manchester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.