Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and St. Andrews

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Andrews: $2,285 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
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St. Andrews Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in St. Andrews

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $2,285 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
St. Andrews $2,285

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $3,891 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
St. Andrews $3,891

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $5,496 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
St. Andrews $5,496

Manchester costs about 11% more than St. Andrews, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Manchester and St. Andrews sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, St. Andrews by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$21.15 £15.87

-4.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$87.9 £65.9

-0.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.51 £7.89

3.04%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.61 £3.46

4.34%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.84 £2.13

-14.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.10 £1.57

-22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$6.76 £5.07

15.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$6.76 £5.07

-4.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.51 £1.13

-3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.71 £1.28

14.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.03 £1.52

-8.37%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.49 £3.37

-9.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$7.37 £5.53

32.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$9.65 £7.24

-5.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$15.41 £11.56

0.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.50 £1.88

28.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.33 £1.00

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.76 £2.07

9.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$2.86 £2.15

16.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.69 £1.27

-8.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.52 £1.14

-14.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.20 £0.90

1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$2.46 £1.85

-47.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$22.57 £16.93

4.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$10.86 £8.15

0.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$2.70 £2.03

-5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$2.98 £2.24

5.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$4.79 £3.59

-44.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$4.05 £3.04

9.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.44 £1.83

-9.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$23.73 £17.80

28.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.10 £1.58

-2.86%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.3K £28.7K

2.21%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$41.2K £30.9K

-2.21%

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

$252 £189

$243 £182

3.71%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$13.40 £10.06

24.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$41.64 £31.24

-2.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$91.6 £68.7

-39.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$13.06 £9.80

1.53%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,806 £1,355

-30.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$22.8K £17.1K

-12.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$95.6 £71.7

-11.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$48.97 £36.74

-12.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$104 £77.8

-11.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$88.5 £66.4

20.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,366 £1,025

30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$1,055 £792

17.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$3,104 £2,329

-2.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$2,743 £2,058

-28.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$6,137 £4,604

-25.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$2,718 £2,039

60.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$3,397 £2,548

1.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.41

-10.91%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for St. Andrews: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

St. Andrews

$1.1K 46.2% 15% $187

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

St. Andrews

$323 14.1% 0.9% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

St. Andrews

$298 13% 3.6% $11

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

St. Andrews

$304 13.3% 1.1% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

St. Andrews

$152 6.6% 3.5% $5.1

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.6% 73.1% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

St. Andrews

$118 5.2% 44.2% $36

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 $1,366 in St. Andrews. 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 2% higher in Manchester, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Manchester versus $88.0 in St. Andrews. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $304 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

16,460

💱 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 St. Andrews 320 km

From you

Manchester
St. Andrews

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 St. Andrews: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 11%, 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 $3,428 in St. Andrews. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St. Andrews, 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 $2,285 in St. Andrews. That's a gap of about 11%.

Kindergarten costs $1,252 per month in Manchester and $1,806 in St. Andrews. 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 St. Andrews, where all-in costs run around $2,285, than in Manchester at $2,532. In St. Andrews it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St. Andrews – 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 St. Andrews. 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.