Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockton-on-Tees and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Stockton-on-Tees: $1,692 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Stockton-on-Tees
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Stockton-on-Tees Living Index
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Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Stockton-on-Tees

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,692

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Stockton-on-Tees vs $2,532 in Manchester, rent included.

Stockton-on-Tees $1,692
Manchester $2,532

A couple spends around $2,431 per month in Stockton-on-Tees vs $3,686 in Manchester, rent included.

Stockton-on-Tees $2,431
Manchester $3,686

A family of three spends $3,170 per month in Stockton-on-Tees vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Stockton-on-Tees $3,170
Manchester $4,839

Stockton-on-Tees is about 33% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Stockton-on-Tees and Manchester sit above the global median – Stockton-on-Tees by 25%, Manchester by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 £10.03

$20.23 £15.18

-33.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 £51.5

$87.1 £65.3

-21.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 £7.88

$10.83 £8.12

-3.05%

Cappuccino

$3.39 £2.54

$4.81 £3.61

-29.52%

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

$2.38 £1.78

$2.44 £1.83

-2.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.62 £1.21

25.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 £3.45

$7.82 £5.87

-41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 £3.10

$6.48 £4.86

-36.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.45 £1.09

-15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 £0.79

$1.95 £1.47

-46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.86 £1.40

-25.81%

Eggs

$3.57 £2.68

$4.05 £3.04

-11.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.63 £5.72

$9.76 £7.32

-21.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.06 £5.29

$9.11 £6.83

-22.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 £10.49

$15.52 £11.64

-9.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 £1.85

$3.20 £2.40

-22.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.52 £1.14

5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 £1.68

$3.02 £2.26

-25.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 £1.37

$3.34 £2.51

-45.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.55 £1.17

10.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.30 £0.98

-1.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.87

$1.22 £0.92

-5.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 £1.18

$1.28 £0.96

22.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.04 £17.29

$23.68 £17.77

-2.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 £6.02

$10.88 £8.16

-26.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 £2.25

$2.55 £1.91

18.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 £2.81

$3.15 £2.36

19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.94 £2.96

$2.68 £2.01

47.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.7 £47.01

$105 £79.1

-40.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 £3.34

$4.42 £3.31

0.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.23 £24.93

$30.45 £22.85

9.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$2.04 £1.53

-2.45%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$39.2K £29.4K

-0.68%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$40.3K £30.2K

-0.07%

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

$354 £265

$252 £189

40.51%

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

$25.85 £19.39

$16.62 £12.47

55.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.40 £34.06

$40.61 £30.47

11.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 £12.83

$13.26 £9.95

28.96%

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

$799 £599

$1,252 £939

-36.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 £81.3

$84.2 £63.2

28.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 £41.55

$42.72 £32.05

29.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 £84.5

$92.2 £69.2

22.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 £85.2

$106 £79.8

6.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 £446

$1,789 £1,342

-66.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 £370

$1,242 £932

-60.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 £607

$3,014 £2,261

-73.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 £533

$1,961 £1,471

-63.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,020 £1,515

$3,460 £2,596

-41.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

4.82

14.73%

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

Last update for Stockton-on-Tees: October 17, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockton-on-Tees

$494 29.2%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 152% $748

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockton-on-Tees

$425 25.1%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 27.3% $116

Groceries & Markets

Stockton-on-Tees

$252 14.9%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 19.3% $49

Eating Out

Stockton-on-Tees

$228 13.5%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 40.5% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Stockton-on-Tees

$175 10.4%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 16.5% $29

Getting Around

Stockton-on-Tees

$83 * 4.9%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 58.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Stockton-on-Tees

$34 * 2%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 139% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $594 in Stockton-on-Tees 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 71% 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 $69.0 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $87.0 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $301 – making Stockton-on-Tees the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Stockton-on-Tees

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

Same time as Stockton-on-Tees

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,729

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

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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

Stockton-on-Tees vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,537 per month in Stockton-on-Tees 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 Stockton-on-Tees, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $799 per month in Stockton-on-Tees and $1,252 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% 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 Stockton-on-Tees, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Stockton-on-Tees it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stockton-on-Tees – 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 Stockton-on-Tees. 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.