Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Sunderland

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunderland: $1,845 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Sunderland
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Sunderland Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Sunderland

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Sunderland

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $1,845 in Sunderland, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Sunderland $1,845

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $2,755 in Sunderland, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Sunderland $2,755

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $3,665 in Sunderland, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Sunderland $3,665

Manchester costs about 37% more than Sunderland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Sunderland sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Sunderland by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$18.54 £13.91

9.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$70.2 £52.7

23.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$8.87 £6.66

22.10%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$5.02 £3.77

-4.18%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.32 £1.74

5.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.96 £1.47

-17.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$4.63 £3.48

68.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$4.30 £3.23

50.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.44 £1.08

0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.37 £1.03

42.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.40 £1.80

-22.50%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$3.52 £2.64

15.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$9.72 £7.29

0.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$8.99 £6.74

1.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$14.35 £10.76

8.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.26 £2.44

-1.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.85 £1.39

-17.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.92 £2.19

3.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$3.79 £2.84

-11.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.79 £1.34

-13.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.48 £1.11

-12.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.20 £0.90

1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.50 £1.13

-14.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$22.99 £17.25

3.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$10.19 £7.65

6.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.57 £2.68

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$3.49 £2.62

-9.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$2.08 £1.56

28.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$119 £89.6

-11.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$4.40 £3.30

0.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.55 £1.16

41.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$28.14 £21.11

8.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.09 £1.57

-2.39%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.3K £28.8K

2.13%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$40.5K £30.4K

-0.55%

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

$252 £189

$248 £186

1.50%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$16.93 £12.70

-1.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$42.31 £31.74

-4.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$40.70 £30.53

35.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

$12.01 £9.01

50.04%

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$10.66 £8.00

24.39%

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

$1,252 £939

$819 £614

52.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$17.6K £13.2K

13.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$91.1 £68.4

-7.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$47.14 £35.37

-9.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$109 £81.4

-15.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$94.7 £71.1

12.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$792 £594

126.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$595 £446

108.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$1,356 £1,017

122.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$957 £718

104.87%

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

$3,663 £2,748

-5.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.15

-6.41%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sunderland: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Sunderland

$595 32.2% 52.1% $647

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Sunderland

$284 15.4% 11.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Sunderland

$307 16.7% 0.6% $1.7

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Sunderland

$303 16.4% 0.7% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Sunderland

$154 8.3% 4.9% $7.2

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Sunderland

$140 7.6% 6.3% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Sunderland

$62 3.4% 24% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Manchester versus $792 in Sunderland. 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 6% higher in Sunderland, 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 $70.0 in Sunderland. Groceries tell a different story – $301 in Manchester vs $303 in Sunderland – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Sunderland

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

275,300

💱 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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Between locations

Manchester Sunderland 170 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 Sunderland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 37%, 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 $2,768 in Sunderland. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sunderland, 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 $819 in Sunderland. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Manchester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sunderland, where all-in costs run around $1,845, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Sunderland it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sunderland – 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 Sunderland. 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.