Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nottingham and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Nottingham: $2,333 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Nottingham
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Nottingham Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Nottingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,333

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nottingham and in Manchester

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nottingham and in Manchester actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,333 per month in Nottingham vs $2,544 in Manchester, rent included.

Nottingham $2,333
Manchester $2,544

A couple spends around $3,341 per month in Nottingham vs $3,691 in Manchester, rent included.

Nottingham $3,341
Manchester $3,691

A family of three spends $4,349 per month in Nottingham vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Nottingham $4,349
Manchester $4,839

Nottingham is about 8% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nottingham and Manchester sit above the global median – Nottingham by 72%, Manchester by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 £14.83

$20.23 £15.18

-2.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 £56.5

$87.1 £65.3

-13.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £8.00

$10.83 £8.12

-1.48%

Cappuccino

$4.47 £3.35

$4.81 £3.61

-7.07%

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

$2.45 £1.84

$2.44 £1.83

0.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.62 £1.21

8.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.80 £5.10

$7.82 £5.87

-13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 £5.06

$6.48 £4.86

4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.45 £1.09

27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.95 £1.47

-21.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$1.86 £1.40

20.97%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.81

$4.05 £3.04

25.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 £6.00

$9.76 £7.32

-18.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 £6.86

$9.11 £6.83

0.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 £11.25

$15.52 £11.64

-3.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 £2.16

$3.20 £2.40

-10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.52 £1.14

19.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 £2.79

$3.02 £2.26

23.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 £2.67

$3.34 £2.51

6.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.55 £1.17

30.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 £1.51

$1.30 £0.98

55.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.22 £0.92

10.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.38

$1.28 £0.96

43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.94 £16.46

$23.68 £17.77

-7.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 £10.04

$10.88 £8.16

22.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.50

$2.55 £1.91

30.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 £3.95

$3.15 £2.36

67.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.68 £2.01

51.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.1

$105 £79.1

1.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 £2.02

$4.42 £3.31

-39.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 £1.09

$2.20 £1.65

-34.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.19 £18.90

$30.45 £22.85

-17.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$2.04 £1.53

2.45%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$39.2K £29.4K

-0.68%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$40.3K £30.2K

1.39%

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

$292 £219

$252 £189

16.16%

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

$19.45 £14.59

$16.62 £12.47

17.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.70 £30.54

$40.61 £30.47

0.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.98 £31.49

$55.1 £41.32

-23.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.75 £15.56

$18.02 £13.52

15.15%

Cinema Ticket

$16.19 £12.15

$13.26 £9.95

22.10%

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

$1,809 £1,357

$1,252 £939

44.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K £20.7K

$19.9K £14.9K

38.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 £64.5

$84.2 £63.2

2.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.2 £45.15

$42.72 £32.05

40.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 £82.4

$92.2 £69.2

19.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.2

$106 £79.8

-3.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 £903

$1,789 £1,342

-32.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 £732

$1,242 £932

-21.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 £1,454

$3,014 £2,261

-35.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 £1,070

$1,961 £1,471

-27.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,089 £3,067

$4,552 £3,415

-10.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,888 £3,667

$4,349 £3,262

12.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,160 £2,371

$3,460 £2,596

-8.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

4.82

5.60%

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

Last update for Nottingham: October 20, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nottingham

$976 41.8%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 27.3% $266

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nottingham

$352 15.1%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 12.4% $44

Groceries & Markets

Nottingham

$327 14%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 8% $26

Eating Out

Nottingham

$308 13.2%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 3.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Nottingham

$162 6.9%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 9.3% $15

Getting Around

Nottingham

$133 5.7%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nottingham

$74 3.2%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 9.7% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,204 in Nottingham versus $1,827 in Manchester. 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 5% 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 $75.0 in Nottingham versus $88.0 in Manchester. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Nottingham vs $299 in Manchester – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Nottingham

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

Same time as Nottingham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

305,700

503,100

💱 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

Nottingham Manchester 93 km

From you

Nottingham
Manchester

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

Nottingham vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,499 per month in Nottingham and $3,816 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,809 per month in Nottingham and $1,240 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% 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 Nottingham, where all-in costs run around $2,333, than in Manchester at $2,544. In Nottingham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nottingham – 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 Nottingham. 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.