Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Stockton-on-Tees

For one person, living is cheaper in Stockton-on-Tees: $1,692 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
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Cost of Living Index in Stockton-on-Tees
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Stockton-on-Tees Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Stockton-on-Tees

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Stockton-on-Tees

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 Stockton-on-Tees actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $1,692 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Stockton-on-Tees $1,692

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $2,431 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Stockton-on-Tees $2,431

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $3,170 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Stockton-on-Tees $3,170

Manchester costs about 50% more than Stockton-on-Tees, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Stockton-on-Tees sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Stockton-on-Tees by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$13.37 £10.03

51.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$68.7 £51.5

26.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.50 £7.88

3.14%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$3.39 £2.54

41.89%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.38 £1.78

2.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.03 £1.52

-20.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$4.60 £3.45

70.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$4.13 £3.10

56.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.23 £0.92

17.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.05 £0.79

85.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.38 £1.04

34.78%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$3.57 £2.68

13.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$7.63 £5.72

27.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$7.06 £5.29

29.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$13.99 £10.49

10.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.47 £1.85

29.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.60 £1.20

-5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.24 £1.68

34.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$1.82 £1.37

83.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.72 £1.29

-9.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.28 £0.96

1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.15 £0.87

6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.57 £1.18

-18.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.04 £17.29

2.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$8.02 £6.02

35.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.01 £2.25

-15.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$3.75 £2.81

-16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$3.94 £2.96

-31.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$62.7 £47.01

68.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$4.45 £3.34

-0.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$33.23 £24.93

-8.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.99 £1.49

2.51%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.9K £29.2K

0.69%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$40.2K £30.2K

0.07%

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

$252 £189

$354 £265

-28.83%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$25.85 £19.39

-35.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$45.40 £34.06

-10.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$17.10 £12.83

-22.46%

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

$1,252 £939

$799 £599

56.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$108 £81.3

-22.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$55.4 £41.55

-22.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$113 £84.5

-18.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$114 £85.2

-6.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$594 £446

201.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$494 £370

151.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$809 £607

272.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$711 £533

175.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$2,020 £1,515

71.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.53

-12.84%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Stockton-on-Tees: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Stockton-on-Tees

$494 29.2% 60.2% $748

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Stockton-on-Tees

$228 13.5% 28.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Stockton-on-Tees

$425 25.1% 37.5% $116

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Stockton-on-Tees

$252 14.9% 16.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Stockton-on-Tees

$175 10.4% 19.7% $29

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Stockton-on-Tees

$83 * 4.9% 37% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Stockton-on-Tees

$34 * 2% 58.1% $47

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 $594 in Stockton-on-Tees. 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 71% 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 $69.0 in Stockton-on-Tees. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $252 – making Stockton-on-Tees the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Stockton-on-Tees

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

82,729

💱 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

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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 Stockton-on-Tees: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,798 per month in Manchester and $2,537 in Stockton-on-Tees. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,252 per month in Manchester and $799 in Stockton-on-Tees. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Manchester, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Stockton-on-Tees, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Stockton-on-Tees it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stockton-on-Tees – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Stockton-on-Tees. 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.