United Kingdom, Manchester

Country Full Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Location: The United Kingdom is in Western Europe, and consists of islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France.

Country Climate: Temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast.

Country Terrain: Mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast.

Major Languages: English.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Population: 0.499 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of the United Kingdom is that of a major developed capitalist economy. The United Kingdom is one of the world's most globalised countries. The British economy is made up of the economies of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In 1973, the UK acceded to the European Economic Community which is now known as the European Union after the ratification of the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993. The UK economy had been one of the strongest EU economies in terms of inflation, interest rates and unemployment, all of which remained relatively low until the 2008-09 recession, when unemployment rose dramatically, and interest rates fell to 0.5%.

Currency: British Pound (GBP). Make an international currency transfer to the United Kingdom.

Inflation: 3.6% (2011 est.).

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England.

Manchester is a focus for businesses which serve local, regional and international markets mainly in banking, finance and insurance. Manchester is the commercial, educational and cultural focus for North West England.

The cost of living in Manchester in the United Kingdom is very high compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Manchester in the United Kingdom is currently ranked 140 overall out of 780 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are high compared to other places for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products. There are 265 places that are more expensive, and 514 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are high compared to other places for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children's clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear. There are 225 places that are more expensive, and 554 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are high compared to other places for various communication costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 272 places that are more expensive, and 507 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are high compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 306 places that are more expensive, and 473 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are low compared to other places for items such as DVD player, fridge freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There are 581 places that are more expensive, and 198 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are average compared to other places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs. There are 332 places that are more expensive, and 447 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are high compared to other places for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine. There are 191 places that are more expensive, and 588 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very high compared to other places for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies. There are 79 places that are more expensive, and 700 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very high compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery. There are 109 places that are more expensive, and 670 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very high compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste. There are 127 places that are more expensive, and 652 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are average compared to other places for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets. There are 392 places that are more expensive, and 387 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are high compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 229 places that are more expensive, and 550 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very high compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport. There are 146 places that are more expensive, and 633 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Manchester in the United Kingdom are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Manchester in the United Kingdom is ranked as minimal hardship with a hardship index of 10%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Manchester in the United Kingdom are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is as at 1 April 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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