Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Andrews and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Andrews: $2,285 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
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St. Andrews Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,285 per month in St. Andrews vs $2,532 in Manchester, rent included.

St. Andrews $2,285
Manchester $2,532

A couple spends around $3,891 per month in St. Andrews vs $3,686 in Manchester, rent included.

St. Andrews $3,891
Manchester $3,686

A family of three spends $5,496 per month in St. Andrews vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

St. Andrews $5,496
Manchester $4,839

St. Andrews is about 10% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both St. Andrews and Manchester sit above the global median – St. Andrews by 69%, Manchester by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.15 £15.87

$20.23 £15.18

4.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 £65.9

$87.1 £65.3

0.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$10.83 £8.12

-2.95%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.46

$4.81 £3.61

-4.16%

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

$2.84 £2.13

$2.44 £1.83

16.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.57

$1.62 £1.21

29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 £5.07

$7.82 £5.87

-13.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.07

$6.48 £4.86

4.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.45 £1.09

4.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.95 £1.47

-12.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.86 £1.40

9.14%

Eggs

$4.49 £3.37

$4.05 £3.04

10.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 £5.53

$9.76 £7.32

-24.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 £7.24

$9.11 £6.83

5.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.56

$15.52 £11.64

-0.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 £1.88

$3.20 £2.40

-21.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.52 £1.14

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 £2.07

$3.02 £2.26

-8.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 £2.15

$3.34 £2.51

-14.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.55 £1.17

9.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.30 £0.98

16.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.22 £0.92

-1.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.85

$1.28 £0.96

92.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.57 £16.93

$23.68 £17.77

-4.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 £8.15

$10.88 £8.16

-0.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.03

$2.55 £1.91

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$3.15 £2.36

-5.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.79 £3.59

$2.68 £2.01

78.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 £3.04

$4.42 £3.31

-8.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 £1.83

$2.20 £1.65

10.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.73 £17.80

$30.45 £22.85

-22.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.58

$2.04 £1.53

2.94%

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

$38.3K £28.7K

$39.2K £29.4K

-2.16%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$40.3K £30.2K

2.26%

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

$243 £182

$252 £189

-3.58%

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

$13.40 £10.06

$16.62 £12.47

-19.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.64 £31.24

$40.61 £30.47

2.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.6 £68.7

$55.1 £41.32

66.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$13.06 £9.80

$13.26 £9.95

-1.51%

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

$1,806 £1,355

$1,252 £939

44.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K £17.1K

$19.9K £14.9K

14.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 £71.7

$84.2 £63.2

13.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.97 £36.74

$42.72 £32.05

14.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.8

$92.2 £69.2

12.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 £66.4

$106 £79.8

-16.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 £1,025

$1,789 £1,342

-23.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 £792

$1,242 £932

-15.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,104 £2,329

$3,014 £2,261

2.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,743 £2,058

$1,961 £1,471

39.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,137 £4,604

$4,552 £3,415

34.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,718 £2,039

$4,349 £3,262

-37.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,397 £2,548

$3,460 £2,596

-1.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

4.82

12.24%

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

Last update for St. Andrews: 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

St. Andrews

$1.1K 46.2%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 17.7% $187

Eating Out

St. Andrews

$323 14.1%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 0.8% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

St. Andrews

$304 13.3%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 1% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Andrews

$298 13%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 3.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

St. Andrews

$152 6.6%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 3.4% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

St. Andrews

$118 5.2%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 30.7% $36

Getting Around

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.6%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 271% $96

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,366 in St. Andrews 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 2% 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 $88.0 in St. Andrews versus $87.0 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $301 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

Same time as St. Andrews

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,460

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

St. Andrews Manchester 320 km

From you

St. Andrews
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

St. Andrews vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,428 per month in St. Andrews 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 St. Andrews, 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 $2,285 in St. Andrews and $2,532 in Manchester. That's a gap of about 11%.

Kindergarten costs $1,806 per month in St. Andrews 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 St. Andrews, where all-in costs run around $2,285, than in Manchester at $2,532. In St. Andrews it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St. Andrews – 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 St. Andrews. 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.