Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Peterborough and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Peterborough: $2,176 a month against $2,544 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Peterborough
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Peterborough Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Peterborough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,176

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,176 per month in Peterborough vs $2,544 in Manchester, rent included.

Peterborough $2,176
Manchester $2,544

A couple spends around $3,065 per month in Peterborough vs $3,691 in Manchester, rent included.

Peterborough $3,065
Manchester $3,691

A family of three spends $3,953 per month in Peterborough vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Peterborough $3,953
Manchester $4,839

Peterborough is about 14% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Peterborough and Manchester sit above the global median – Peterborough by 61%, Manchester by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 £15.11

$19.64 £14.74

2.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.9 £69.7

$87.7 £65.8

5.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.79

$10.47 £7.85

-0.76%

Cappuccino

$4.37 £3.28

$4.85 £3.64

-9.90%

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

$2.03 £1.52

$2.49 £1.87

-18.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.68 £1.26

-30.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 £4.83

$7.75 £5.81

-16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.03

$6.72 £5.04

-0.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.43 £1.07

17.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 £1.03

$1.94 £1.45

-29.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.87 £1.40

-18.18%

Eggs

$3.60 £2.70

$3.97 £2.98

-9.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.90

$9.40 £7.05

-2.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.82 £6.62

$9.02 £6.77

-2.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.74 £8.06

$15.39 £11.55

-30.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 £2.38

$3.09 £2.32

2.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.58 £1.19

-22.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 £1.24

$3.03 £2.28

-45.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.39

$3.37 £2.52

-5.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.56 £1.17

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.36 £1.02

-8.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 £0.66

$1.20 £0.90

-27.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.27 £0.95

4.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.80 £17.85

-0.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.88

$11.11 £8.34

-5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 £1.96

$2.50 £1.88

4.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.12 £2.34

17.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.60 £1.95

$2.67 £2.00

-2.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 £85.6

$104 £77.8

10.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.30 £4.72

$4.51 £3.39

39.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 £1.64

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.56 £22.18

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$2.11 £1.58

-7.11%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$37.5K £28.1K

2.04%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$40.3K £30.2K

1.24%

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

$242 £182

$250 £188

-3.11%

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

$17.52 £13.14

$16.38 £12.29

6.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.79 £29.10

$40.35 £30.27

-3.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.28 £28.72

$55.5 £41.65

-31.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 £18.00

$18.33 £13.75

30.88%

Cinema Ticket

$15.92 £11.94

$13.11 £9.84

21.43%

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

$929 £697

$1,240 £930

-25.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K £15.9K

$19.5K £14.6K

8.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.10 £18.08

$84.5 £63.4

-71.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.41 £19.06

$41.39 £31.05

-38.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 £72.3

$91.6 £68.7

5.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 £65.5

$103 £77.6

-15.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 £822

$1,827 £1,371

-40.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 £751

$1,267 £950

-21.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 £1,321

$3,044 £2,284

-42.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 £959

$1,983 £1,488

-35.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,875 £2,907

$4,537 £3,403

-14.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,170 £2,378

$4,324 £3,244

-26.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,795 £2,097

$3,329 £2,498

-16.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.88

4.82

1.24%

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

Last update for Peterborough: October 13, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Peterborough

$1K 46%

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8% 26.6% $266

Eating Out

Peterborough

$303 13.9%

Manchester

$316 12.4% 4.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Peterborough

$299 13.7%

Manchester

$307 12.1% 2.7% $8.2

Groceries & Markets

Peterborough

$268 12.3%

Manchester

$299 11.8% 11.5% $31

Getting Around

Peterborough

$131 * 6%

Manchester

$130 5.1% 0.8% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Peterborough

$105 4.8%

Manchester

$144 5.7% 37.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Peterborough

$70 3.2%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 16.6% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,095 in Peterborough 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 19% 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 $93.0 in Peterborough versus $88.0 in Manchester. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Peterborough vs $299 in Manchester – so Peterborough wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Peterborough

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

Same time as Peterborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,600

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

Peterborough Manchester 170 km

From you

Peterborough
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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

Peterborough vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,264 per month in Peterborough 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 Peterborough, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $929 per month in Peterborough and $1,240 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% 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 Peterborough, where all-in costs run around $2,176, than in Manchester at $2,544. In Peterborough it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Peterborough – 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 Peterborough. 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.