Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Stratford upon Avon

For one person, living is cheaper in Stratford upon Avon: $2,064 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Stratford upon Avon
Learn more

Stratford upon Avon Living Index

Jump to prices

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Stratford upon Avon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Stratford upon Avon

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 Stratford upon Avon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $2,064 in Stratford upon Avon, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Stratford upon Avon $2,064

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $3,090 in Stratford upon Avon, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Stratford upon Avon $3,090

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $4,116 in Stratford upon Avon, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Stratford upon Avon $4,116

Manchester costs about 23% more than Stratford upon Avon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Manchester and Stratford upon Avon sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Stratford upon Avon by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$20.18 £15.14

0.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$80.0 £60.0

8.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.70 £8.03

1.21%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.52 £3.39

6.42%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.14 £1.61

14.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.54 £1.15

5.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$6.50 £4.87

20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$4.62 £3.46

40.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.66 £1.24

-12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.89 £1.42

3.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.33 £1.75

-20.17%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.47 £3.35

-9.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$11.75 £8.82

-16.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$10.01 £7.51

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$17.06 £12.80

-9.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$4.35 £3.26

-26.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.43 £1.08

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$1.87 £1.40

61.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$3.53 £2.65

-5.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.55 £1.16

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.72 £1.29

-24.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.33 £1.00

-8.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.48 £1.11

-13.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.87 £17.91

-0.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$10.83 £8.12

0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.10 £2.33

-17.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$2.32 £1.74

35.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$4.69 £3.52

-5.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.60 £1.20

37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$39.37 £29.53

-22.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.01 £1.51

1.49%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$37.9K £28.4K

3.32%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

-0.05%

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

$252 £189

$204 £153

23.55%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$16.03 £12.03

3.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$46.83 £35.13

-13.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$14.67 £11.01

-9.61%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,340 £1,005

-6.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$22.1K £16.6K

-10.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$67.6 £50.7

24.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$31.27 £23.46

36.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$73.3 £55.0

25.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$78.8 £59.1

34.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,241 £931

44.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$1,010 £758

22.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$1,898 £1,424

58.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$1,724 £1,293

13.75%

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

$3,462 £2,597

-0.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.47

-11.88%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Stratford upon Avon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Stratford upon Avon

$1K 49% 18.7% $232

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Stratford upon Avon

$304 14.7% 5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Stratford upon Avon

$267 12.9% 13.7% $42

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Stratford upon Avon

$328 15.9% 8.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Stratford upon Avon

$113 5.5% 22.9% $34

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Stratford upon Avon

$13 * 0.6% 90.3% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Stratford upon Avon

$29 * 1.4% 64% $52

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 $1,241 in Stratford upon Avon. 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 0% higher in Stratford upon Avon, 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 Stratford upon Avon. Groceries tell a different story – $301 in Manchester vs $328 in Stratford upon Avon – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Stratford upon Avon

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

30,495

💱 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 Stratford upon Avon 150 km

From you

Manchester
Stratford upon Avon

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 Stratford upon Avon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 23%, 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 $3,095 in Stratford upon Avon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stratford upon Avon, 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 $2,064 in Stratford upon Avon. That's a gap of about 23%.

Kindergarten costs $1,252 per month in Manchester and $1,340 in Stratford upon Avon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Stratford upon Avon, where all-in costs run around $2,064, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Stratford upon Avon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stratford upon Avon – 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 Stratford upon Avon. 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.