Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solihull and Manchester

For one person, living costs are similar in Solihull and in Manchester: $2,518 and $2,532 a month, rent and utilities included.

121

Cost of Living Index in Solihull
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Solihull Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Solihull

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,518

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,518 per month in Solihull vs $2,532 in Manchester, rent included.

Solihull $2,518
Manchester $2,532

A couple spends around $3,719 per month in Solihull vs $3,686 in Manchester, rent included.

Solihull $3,719
Manchester $3,686

A family of three spends $4,921 per month in Solihull vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Solihull $4,921
Manchester $4,839

Solihull is about 1% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Solihull and Manchester sit above the global median – Solihull by 86%, Manchester by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.07 £20.30

$20.23 £15.18

33.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 £60.0

$87.1 £65.3

-8.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.85

$10.83 £8.12

-3.32%

Cappuccino

$4.90 £3.68

$4.81 £3.61

1.87%

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

$2.50 £1.88

$2.44 £1.83

2.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.62 £1.21

29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 £4.26

$7.82 £5.87

-27.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 £4.19

$6.48 £4.86

-13.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.45 £1.09

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.95 £1.47

-5.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.86 £1.40

-5.38%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.96

$9.76 £7.32

-4.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 £6.18

$9.11 £6.83

-9.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.59 £9.45

$15.52 £11.64

-18.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 £2.47

$3.20 £2.40

3.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.52 £1.14

1.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$3.02 £2.26

-39.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$3.34 £2.51

5.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.55 £1.17

-7.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.30 £0.98

19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 £0.97

$1.22 £0.92

6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.28 £0.96

-1.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.39 £17.55

$23.68 £17.77

-1.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.55 £6.41

$10.88 £8.16

-21.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.67

$2.55 £1.91

-12.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.46

$3.15 £2.36

-38.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 £2.02

$2.68 £2.01

0.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 £3.09

$4.42 £3.31

-7.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.91 £2.93

$2.20 £1.65

77.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.77 £23.84

$30.45 £22.85

4.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.04 £1.53

1.47%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$39.2K £29.4K

-1.14%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.3K £30.2K

1.52%

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

$343 £258

$252 £189

36.44%

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

$17.19 £12.89

$16.62 £12.47

3.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.22 £34.67

$40.61 £30.47

13.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.27 £34.72

$55.1 £41.32

-15.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 £8.38

$13.26 £9.95

-15.76%

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

$1,446 £1,085

$1,252 £939

15.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K £18.3K

$19.9K £14.9K

22.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 £63.7

$84.2 £63.2

0.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.58

$42.72 £32.05

26.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £81.4

$92.2 £69.2

17.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 £83.6

$106 £79.8

4.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 £787

$1,789 £1,342

-41.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 £906

$1,242 £932

-2.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,134 £1,601

$3,014 £2,261

-29.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,138 £1,604

$1,961 £1,471

9.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,479 £4,111

$4,552 £3,415

20.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,599 £2,700

$4,349 £3,262

-17.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,759 £3,570

$3,460 £2,596

37.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

4.82

8.09%

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

Last update for Solihull: October 18, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Solihull

$1.2K 47.9%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 2.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solihull

$407 16.2%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 24.1% $98

Eating Out

Solihull

$365 14.5%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 12.2% $44

Groceries & Markets

Solihull

$274 10.9%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 9.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Solihull

$162 6.4%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 9.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Solihull

$69 2.7%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 18.9% $13

Getting Around

Solihull

$34 * 1.4%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 282% $97

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,049 in Solihull versus $1,789 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 38% higher in Solihull, 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 $80.0 in Solihull versus $87.0 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $301 – making Solihull the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Solihull

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

Same time as Solihull

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

206,091

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

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Between locations

Solihull Manchester 120 km

From you

Solihull
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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

Solihull vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,776 per month in Solihull and $3,798 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,518 in Solihull and $2,532 in Manchester. That's a gap of about 1%.

Kindergarten costs $1,446 per month in Solihull and $1,252 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Solihull, where all-in costs run around $2,518, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Solihull it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Solihull – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Solihull. 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.