Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and St Albans Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and St Albans

😐 Solo nomad: Manchester is 11.6% more expensive than St Albans without rent, and 8.9% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Manchester is 10.5% more expensive than St Albans without rent, and 0.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Manchester
St Albans
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.43 £15.04
$20 £14.72
2.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$95.8 £70.5
$80.9 £59.5
18.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.68 £7.86
$9.34 £6.88
14.35%
Cappuccino
$5.05 £3.72
$4.77 £3.51
5.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 £1.89
$1.89 £1.39
35.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 £1.28
$1.61 £1.18
7.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.26 £5.34
$5.34 £3.93
35.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.48 £5.51
$5.27 £3.88
41.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Manchester
St Albans
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 £1.2
$2.29 £1.68
-28.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 £1.26
$1.47 £1.08
17.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 £1.6
$2.31 £1.7
-6.06%
Eggs
$3.89 £2.86
$3.77 £2.77
3.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.14 £8.93
$19.79 £14.56
-38.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.7 £7.14
$7.75 £5.7
25.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.94 £12.46
$14.17 £10.42
19.55%
Apples (1kg)
$3.3 £2.43
$3.14 £2.31
5.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 £1.37
$1.34 £0.99
39.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.95 £2.91
$2.3 £1.69
71.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.35 £3.2
$3.35 £2.46
29.85%
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 £1.58
$1.6 £1.17
33.75%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 £1.33
$1.46 £1.07
23.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 £0.97
$1.22 £0.9
7.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.5 £1.1
$1.83 £1.34
-18.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.67 £13.74
$16.12 £11.86
15.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.44 £7.68
$10.17 £7.48
2.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.58 £1.9
$2.97 £2.18
-13.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 £2.54
$3.29 £2.42
5.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Manchester
St Albans
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.74 £2.02
$3.03 £2.23
-9.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$123 £90.2
$84.2 £62
45.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.3 £3.9
$3.97 £2.92
33.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.92 £2.15
$1.85 £1.36
57.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.89 £24.94
$23.27 £17.12
45.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 £1.38
$2.08 £1.53
-9.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.2K
$48.3K £35.5K
-20.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.1K
$42.5K £31.3K
-3.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manchester
St Albans
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$293 £215
$345 £254
-15.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.46 £16.53
$18.96 £13.96
18.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.09 £31.71
$36.56 £26.91
17.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Manchester
St Albans
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.03 £30.19
$55.4 £40.73
-25.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.53 £11.43
$20.74 £15.26
-25.12%
Cinema Ticket
$13.75 £10.12
$12.1 £8.91
13.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Manchester
St Albans
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,981 £1,458
$3,826 £2,816
-48.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.6K £15.2K
$11K £8,120
87.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Manchester
St Albans
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.8 £67.5
$78.2 £57.5
17.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 £30.49
$50.2 £36.96
-17.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.9 £64.7
$100 £73.7
-12.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 £78
$126 £92.5
-15.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Manchester
St Albans
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 £1,174
$1,800 £1,325
-11.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,267 £932
$1,556 £1,145
-18.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,742 £2,018
$3,023 £2,225
-9.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,072 £1,525
$2,367 £1,742
-12.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,685 £4,184
$9,167 £6,746
-37.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,908 £2,876
$6,988 £5,142
-44.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Manchester
St Albans
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,332 £2,452
$3,070 £2,260
8.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.92
5.79
2.25%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

Last update for St Albans: October 29, 2025

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