Cost of Living in Manchester, United Kingdom

Updated On May 10, 2022

How Much Does It Cost to Live In Manchester?

Coming to the United Kingdom might involve getting accustomed to a lot of diversity.

It is often advisable, when it comes to quality of life in the UK, to choose those cities where your salary will be in line with your spendings,

In order to help you find the best place to live if you are looking to move, you should take a look at the possible basic expenses, as they are essential for the decent living.

Cost of Living Index:
69.86
* Based on Research & User Data
Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

If you are a person who is ready to buy food at the local markets and supermarkets, you will be able to save some money on eating.

Otherwise, dining out on a daily basis will not be affordable, as food in the restaurants, which can include cuisines from around the world, is pretty pricey.

Markets

MARKETS

While restaurants are quite expensive here, if you do not mind cooking for yourself and your family, you will probably have quite an amount of the budget left.

Manchester has lots of markets, shops and supermarkets, and you can find food from all over the world, but bear in mind that international groceries are more expensive.

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

Those people who want to organize their money carefully might think about renting an apartment out of the city, so as to save on the rent, but they should have in mind the commuting costs which are around $90 per month if they use public transportation.

Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

If you have managed to find the apartment to live, you should know that utilities are paid separately, meaning that you will need further money for heating or water in your budget.

Electricity bills might be even higher during winter months.

Generally speaking, Manchester is among the expensive cities when it comes to services.

Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

If you ask the residents, they will also be able to advise you where to find the best places for outdoor activities, if the weather allows you to do it in the nature.

Otherwise, various fitness clubs and gyms are available throughout the city and at very affordable prices.

Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

Designer clothing here is affordable only to those with high budgets, and newcomers are advisable to rather buy non-branded items.

The fact that even the residents do not spend more than 2.5% on this is the best evidence that branded clothing is not a bargain.

Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

Even though the house prices in Manchester are not so high, the majority of newcomers would not be able to afford buying it, but would rather choose to rent.

Rent prices are neither low, nor high, meaning that they are based on the average salaries.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Manchester

*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.
Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant)$18.96
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter)$5.32
Water (0.33 Liter)$1.35
Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter)$1.23
Loaf Bread (500g)$1.33
Eggs (12)$2.52
Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket$3.73
Monthly Pass$86.77
Gasoline$1.66
Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling)$204.56
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local$0.22
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)$37.63
Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult$33.39
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour)$13.90
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release$10.64
Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable)$84.27
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...)$37.09
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range)$79.60
Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center$996.79
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center$731.79
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center$1810.69

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Manchester?

In order to have a rough look at costs and be able to plan your own expenses, it is always advisable to get acquainted with a typical resident’s basic monthly expenditure.

Depending on your lifestyle, you can exclude costs related for social life or clothing, as this can vary from person to person.

Furthermore, neither of the data cannot be a precise estimate of how much you will need to spend on certain category, but knowing the percentages, you will be able to organize your money.

Average Costs Breakdown

17.6%
26.6%
13%
7.6%
4.4%
2.4%
28.4%

Manchester: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

Unemployment is negligible here and this highly affects the standard of living.

This is one of the reasons why so many foreigners choose Manchester as their future place of residence.

Furthermore, incomes here are on the higher end of average for the United Kingdom, while the rents are more affordable than in other major cities.

In case you are living on the minimum budget, you will be able to pay only for the basics, as the rent will take the most of your monthly salary.

Average Salary$2325.67
Minimum Wage$1659.2
Mortgage Interest Rate3.36%

Manchester Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Manchester Safety Review

Safety Index:
44
  • OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
  • TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
  • PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
  • NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
  • MUGGING RISK: LOW
  • TERRORISM RISK: HIGH
  • SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
  • WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM

Cost of Living by City in Manchester

CityCost of Living Index
Aberdeen73.02
Bath74.48
Belfast62.42
Birmingham64.46
Brighton69.54
Bristol69.58
Cambridge72.6
Cardiff62.12
Coventry66.31
Derby61.5
Edinburgh61.5
Exeter66.56
Glasgow66.5
Leeds68.26
Leicester65.59
Liverpool62
London81.31
Milton Keynes78.5
Newcastle upon Tyne62.76
Norwich64.95
Nottingham67.05
Oxford72.6
Peterborough41.93
Plymouth70.02
Portsmouth71.04
Reading76.73
Sheffield62.64
Southampton63.73
Swindon69.92
York69.33

Where to Next?

See these related locations:

Or, browse the country/city indexes:

Cost of Living - Country Index Cost of Living - City Index

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