Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading and Manchester Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading and Manchester

🙂 Solo nomad: Reading is 1.8% cheaper than Manchester without rent, and 1.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Reading is 0.9% cheaper than Manchester without rent, and 3.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Reading
Manchester
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.14 £19.97
$20.43 £15.04
32.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$96.6 £71.1
$95.8 £70.5
0.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.01 £7.37
$10.68 £7.86
-6.27%
Cappuccino
$4.83 £3.56
$5.05 £3.72
-4.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 £2.47
$2.57 £1.89
30.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.18
$1.73 £1.28
71.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.37 £6.16
$7.26 £5.34
15.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.94 £5.11
$7.48 £5.51
-7.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Reading
Manchester
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 £1.01
$1.63 £1.2
-15.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 £0.96
$1.72 £1.26
-23.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.69 £1.98
$2.17 £1.6
23.96%
Eggs
$3.66 £2.69
$3.89 £2.86
-5.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.96 £7.33
$12.14 £8.93
-17.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.29 £6.1
$9.7 £7.14
-14.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.98 £9.55
$16.94 £12.46
-23.38%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 £2.26
$3.3 £2.43
-6.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 £1.12
$1.87 £1.37
-18.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.78 £2.05
$3.95 £2.91
-29.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.28 £2.41
$4.35 £3.2
-24.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.5 £1.1
$2.14 £1.58
-29.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 £1.02
$1.81 £1.33
-23.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 £0.68
$1.31 £0.97
-29.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 £1.15
$1.5 £1.1
4.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.3 £14.94
$18.67 £13.74
8.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.48 £9.92
$10.44 £7.68
29.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.24 £1.65
$2.58 £1.9
-13.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 £2.56
$3.46 £2.54
0.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Reading
Manchester
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.71 £1.99
$2.74 £2.02
-1.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88 £64.7
$123 £90.2
-28.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.25 £4.6
$5.3 £3.9
17.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.74 £1.28
$2.92 £2.15
-40.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.12 £11.13
$33.89 £24.94
-55.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.37
$1.88 £1.38
-1.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.1K £28.8K
$38.3K £28.2K
1.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.2K £30.3K
$40.9K £30.1K
0.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Reading
Manchester
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$221 £162
$293 £215
-24.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.18 £14.11
$22.46 £16.53
-14.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.33 £31.88
$43.09 £31.71
0.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Reading
Manchester
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.42 £34.9
$41.03 £30.19
15.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.88 £14.63
$15.53 £11.43
28.01%
Cinema Ticket
$13.43 £9.88
$13.75 £10.12
-2.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Reading
Manchester
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,930 £1,420
$1,981 £1,458
-2.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.4K £18.7K
$20.6K £15.2K
23.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Reading
Manchester
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$81.4 £59.9
$91.8 £67.5
-11.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.95 £36.75
$41.44 £30.49
20.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 £83.3
$87.9 £64.7
28.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.1 £72.9
$106 £78
-6.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Reading
Manchester
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,801 £1,325
$1,595 £1,174
12.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,426 £1,050
$1,267 £932
12.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,036 £2,234
$2,742 £2,018
10.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,423 £1,783
$2,072 £1,525
16.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,731 £4,218
$5,685 £4,184
0.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,414 £3,984
$3,908 £2,876
38.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Reading
Manchester
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,575 £2,631
$3,332 £2,452
7.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.53
5.92
-6.59%

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

Last update for Reading: October 28, 2025

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

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