Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Vila and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,544 a month against $3,148 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Port Vila
🇻🇺 Vanuatu
$3,148
/mo nomad
Manchester
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,544
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,148 per month in Port Vila vs $2,544 in Manchester, rent included.

  • Port Vila $3,148
  • Manchester $2,544

A couple spends around $4,290 per month in Port Vila vs $3,691 in Manchester, rent included.

  • Port Vila $4,290
  • Manchester $3,691

A family of three spends $5,432 per month in Port Vila vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

  • Port Vila $5,432
  • Manchester $4,839

Port Vila costs about 24% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Port Vila and Manchester sit above the global median – Port Vila by 133%, Manchester by 88%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Port Vila
Manchester
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.57 VUV 1,474
$19.64 £14.74
-36.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.9 VUV 6,558
$87.7 £65.8
-36.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.47 VUV 1,697
$10.47 £7.85
38.20%
Cappuccino
$3.99 VUV 468
$4.85 £3.64
-17.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 VUV 270
$2.49 £1.87
-7.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 VUV 276
$1.68 £1.26
39.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.14 VUV 603
$7.75 £5.81
-33.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.16 VUV 839
$6.72 £5.04
6.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Port Vila
Manchester
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.73 VUV 320
$1.43 £1.07
90.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.97 VUV 231
$1.94 £1.45
1.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.63 VUV 426
$1.87 £1.40
94.12%
Eggs
$6.30 VUV 739
$3.97 £2.98
58.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.57 VUV 2,061
$9.40 £7.05
86.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.60 VUV 1,947
$9.02 £6.77
84.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.68 VUV 1,604
$15.39 £11.55
-11.11%
Apples (1kg)
$7.13 VUV 837
$3.09 £2.32
130.74%
Banana (1kg)
$2.15 VUV 252
$1.58 £1.19
36.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.86 VUV 453
$3.03 £2.28
27.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$9.44 VUV 1,107
$3.37 £2.52
180.12%
Potato (1kg)
$9.13 VUV 1,071
$1.56 £1.17
485.26%
Onion (1kg)
$3.47 VUV 407
$1.36 £1.02
155.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.58 VUV 303
$1.20 £0.90
115.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 VUV 140
$1.27 £0.95
-5.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.06 VUV 1,063
$23.80 £17.85
-61.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.51 VUV 1,467
$11.11 £8.34
12.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.45 VUV 287
$2.50 £1.88
-2.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 VUV 316
$3.12 £2.34
-13.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Port Vila
Manchester
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.29 VUV 151
$2.67 £2.00
-51.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$68.6 VUV 8,052
$104 £77.8
-33.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.57 VUV 302
$4.51 £3.39
-43.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.88 VUV 103
$2.18 £1.64
-59.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.19 VUV 609
$29.56 £22.18
-82.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.76 VUV 206
$2.11 £1.58
-16.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.8K VUV 2.7M
$37.5K £28.1K
-39.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.9K VUV 4.5M
$40.3K £30.2K
-5.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Port Vila
Manchester
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$636 VUV 74.6K
$250 £188
154.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.30 VUV 2,615
$16.38 £12.29
36.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$362 VUV 42.4K
$40.35 £30.27
795.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Port Vila
Manchester
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.7 VUV 7,936
$55.5 £41.65
21.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.93 VUV 1,986
$18.33 £13.75
-7.64%
Cinema Ticket
-
$13.11 £9.84
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Port Vila
Manchester
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$631 VUV 74.0K
$1,240 £930
-49.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,973 VUV 818.0K
$19.5K £14.6K
-64.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Port Vila
Manchester
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.45 VUV 4,862
$84.5 £63.4
-50.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$67.0 VUV 7,856
$41.39 £31.05
61.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.0 VUV 10.1K
$91.6 £68.7
-6.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 VUV 12.0K
$103 £77.6
-0.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Port Vila
Manchester
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 VUV 181.7K
$1,827 £1,371
-15.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,120 VUV 131.3K
$1,267 £950
-11.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,413 VUV 400.3K
$3,044 £2,284
12.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,886 VUV 221.3K
$1,983 £1,488
-4.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,917 VUV 694.1K
$4,537 £3,403
30.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,162 VUV 253.6K
$4,324 £3,244
-50.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Port Vila
Manchester
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$678 VUV 79.5K
$3,329 £2,498
-79.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.18
4.82
28.22%

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

Last update for Port Vila: October 10, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Port Vila
$1.1K
Manchester
$1.3K 13.1% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Port Vila
$1K
Manchester
$307 69.9% $713
Groceries & Markets
Port Vila
$476
Manchester
$299 37.3% $178
Eating Out
Port Vila
$250
Manchester
$316 26% $65
Clothing & Footwear
Port Vila
$134
Manchester
$144 8.1% $11
Getting Around
Port Vila
$81
Manchester
$130 60.7% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Port Vila
$68 *
Manchester
$82 20.8% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,549 in Port Vila 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 391% higher in Manchester, 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 $56.0 in Port Vila versus $88.0 in Manchester. Groceries tell a different story – $476 in Port Vila vs $299 in Manchester – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇻🇺 Port Vila
🇬🇧 Manchester
🕒 Local time
15:05 3:05 PM
05:05 5:05 AM
10 h behind Port Vila
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
44,039 Capital
503,100
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Port Vila Manchester 15,960 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Port Vila
  • 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
Port Vila vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Manchester cheaper than Port Vila?
Yes – Port Vila is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,722 per month in Port Vila and $3,816 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Manchester, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $631 per month in Port Vila and $1,240 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Port Vila and in Manchester?
Groceries cost about 59% more in Port Vila, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Port Vila or in Manchester?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,148 in Port Vila and $2,544 in Manchester. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Port Vila or Manchester more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Port Vila or Manchester?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Manchester. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Vila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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