Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oxford and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $3,210 in Oxford, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Oxford
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Oxford Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Oxford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,210

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oxford 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 Oxford and in Manchester actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,210 per month in Oxford vs $2,499 in Manchester, rent included.

Oxford $3,210
Manchester $2,499

A couple spends around $4,477 per month in Oxford vs $3,623 in Manchester, rent included.

Oxford $4,477
Manchester $3,623

A family of three spends $5,743 per month in Oxford vs $4,747 in Manchester, rent included.

Oxford $5,743
Manchester $4,747

Oxford costs about 28% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oxford and Manchester sit above the global median – Oxford by 136%, Manchester by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.95 £18.61

$20.22 £15.08

23.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £77.5

$86.0 £64.1

20.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 £7.90

$10.74 £8.01

-1.30%

Cappuccino

$4.94 £3.68

$4.68 £3.49

5.56%

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

$4.46 £3.32

$2.44 £1.82

82.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.62 £1.21

35.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.04 £6.74

$7.78 £5.80

16.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 £6.38

$6.70 £5.00

27.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.26

$1.51 £1.12

11.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.88 £1.40

-9.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.94 £1.45

1.55%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.03

$4.08 £3.04

-0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.74 £10.25

$9.61 £7.16

42.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 £6.40

$8.98 £6.70

-4.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 £11.06

$15.41 £11.49

-3.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 £2.49

$3.09 £2.30

7.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.58 £1.18

7.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 £2.24

$2.95 £2.20

2.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 £2.78

$3.35 £2.50

11.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.51 £1.13

14.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 £1.31

$1.35 £1.00

30.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.26 £0.94

-3.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.23 £0.92

30.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.70 £17.67

$24.05 £17.93

-1.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 £8.43

$10.88 £8.12

3.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.43

$2.43 £1.81

34.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.53

$3.17 £2.36

6.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.90

$2.73 £2.04

42.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 £81.9

$108 £80.4

1.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 £3.71

$4.52 £3.37

10.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 £2.37

$2.22 £1.65

43.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.14 £31.42

$30.82 £22.98

36.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.57

$2.14 £1.59

-1.40%

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

$38.4K £28.7K

$38.5K £28.7K

-0.07%

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

$41.1K £30.7K

$40.0K £29.9K

2.67%

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

$361 £269

$252 £188

42.97%

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

$18.08 £13.48

$16.23 £12.10

11.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.18 £32.94

$39.58 £29.51

11.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.85 £31.20

$42.67 £31.81

-1.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.49 £8.56

$18.05 £13.46

-36.34%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 £11.95

$13.44 £10.02

19.27%

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

$2,254 £1,680

$1,494 £1,114

50.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K £11.4K

$19.7K £14.7K

-22.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.8 £73.7

$83.5 £62.3

18.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.09 £34.36

$42.97 £32.04

7.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.3

$95.0 £70.8

7.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £77.6

$106 £79.0

-1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,187 £1,631

$1,785 £1,331

22.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 £1,272

$1,222 £911

39.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,231 £2,409

$2,930 £2,185

10.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 £1,837

$1,899 £1,416

29.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,794 £6,556

$4,668 £3,480

88.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,600 £4,921

$4,397 £3,278

50.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,032 £3,006

$3,395 £2,531

18.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.82

-0.62%

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

Last update for Oxford: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oxford

$1.7K 53.2%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 28.4% $484

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oxford

$423 13.2%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 27.2% $115

Eating Out

Oxford

$380 11.8%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 16% $61

Groceries & Markets

Oxford

$323 10.1%

Manchester

$299 12% 7.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Oxford

$158 4.9%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 6.8% $11

Getting Around

Oxford

$146 4.6%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 8.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Oxford

$74 2.3%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 5.9% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,187 in Oxford versus $1,785 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 19% higher in Oxford, 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 $104 in Oxford versus $86 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $299 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Oxford

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

Same time as Oxford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,000

503,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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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

Oxford vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oxford is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,815 per month in Oxford and $3,749 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manchester, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,785 there versus $2,187 in Oxford.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,210 in Oxford and $2,499 in Manchester. That makes Manchester about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,254 per month in Oxford and $1,494 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Manchester – 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 Manchester. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oxford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.