UKDESK.
Cost of Living · UK 2026

Compare any two UK cities, side by side.

See exactly how monthly rent, transport, groceries and utilities differ between UK cities, sourced from ONS, transport authorities and rental data.

  • ONS · transport authority · rental data
  • Free · No sign-up
  • Updated 2026/27

Written & verified by

UKDesk Editorial, Editor & Researcher

Reads gov.uk, HMRC and ONS source pages, verifies every figure, and writes the plain-English explainers on UKDesk.

Verified against gov.uk · May 2026·Editorial policy
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Compare two UK cities

London

Greater London

£2,370/mo

The UK's largest job market and biggest sponsor concentration, but the highest cost of living.

Manchester

North West

£1,425/mo

The UK's second tech hub, half the cost of London with a fast-growing sponsor base.

Monthly cost breakdown

ItemLondonManchesterDiff
One-bed rent£1,750£950−£800
Transport£160£75−£85
Groceries£280£240−£40
Utilities + internet£180£160−£20
Total per month£2,370£1,425−£945

Difference shown is City B − City A. Negative means City B is cheaper.

Top sectors · London

  • Technology
    King's Cross, Shoreditch and South Bank, Google, Meta, fintech scale-ups, AI labs.
  • Finance
    The City and Canary Wharf, banks, insurance, asset management.
  • Healthcare
    NHS trusts (Guy's & St Thomas', UCLH, Royal London) sponsor heavily.
  • Consulting
    All Big 4 + tier-1 strategy firms headquartered here.

Top sectors · Manchester

  • Technology
    Northern Quarter + Spinningfields, fintech, AI, ecommerce.
  • Media
    MediaCity UK (Salford), BBC, ITV, production companies.
  • Healthcare
    Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, one of the biggest in the UK.
  • Education
    University of Manchester + Manchester Met sponsor academic and research roles.

Browse all city guides

Full guides with neighbourhoods, top sectors and arrival notes for each city.

BirminghamEdinburghLondonManchester
How we calculate this

This calculator uses current UK government rules, HMRC rates and ONS data. Figures are verified against the primary sources we list site-wide; the editorial policy explains how we keep them current.

Reference

How it works

Where the figures come from+
Rent averages combine ONS Private Rental Index with Zoopla / Rightmove published medians. Transport from TfL, GMCA, WMCA and regional operators. Groceries and utilities from ONS Family Spending Survey.
What's included+
A "single adult" baseline: one-bed flat rent, monthly transport pass, average grocery spend, gas + electric + broadband + mobile. Council Tax is calculated separately, see our Council Tax band tool.
What's NOT included+
Council Tax (highly variable by band and council), TV licence, leisure, eating out, holidays, savings, debt repayment. Add ~£200-£500/month for a realistic full budget.
Adjust for family size+
For a couple sharing rent: roughly +30% to total. For a family of 4: roughly +90% to total + £400-£800 childcare per child.
Why London is the outlier+
London rents 60-100% higher than most UK cities. Transport is uniquely capped via TfL contactless. Council Tax can actually be LOWER than smaller cities. Net effect: monthly costs are still typically 40-60% higher than regional UK.
When comparing for relocation+
Pair this tool with our Mortgage Affordability and Take-Home Pay calculators to map out total budget reality before committing to a move.