Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Manchester Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Manchester

🙂 Solo nomad: Cardiff is 9.6% cheaper than Manchester without rent, and 12.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cardiff is 12.1% cheaper than Manchester without rent, and 14.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cardiff
Manchester
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.26 £14.91
$20.43 £15.04
-0.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.8 £65.4
$95.8 £70.5
-7.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.74 £7.9
$10.68 £7.86
0.56%
Cappuccino
$4.83 £3.55
$5.05 £3.72
-4.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 £1.85
$2.57 £1.89
-2.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 £1.27
$1.73 £1.28
-0.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.75 £4.97
$7.26 £5.34
-7.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.17 £4.54
$7.48 £5.51
-17.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cardiff
Manchester
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.93 £1.42
$1.63 £1.2
18.40%
White Bread (500g)
$1.77 £1.3
$1.72 £1.26
2.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.1 £2.28
$2.17 £1.6
42.86%
Eggs
$4.45 £3.28
$3.89 £2.86
14.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.44 £7.69
$12.14 £8.93
-14.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.08 £6.68
$9.7 £7.14
-6.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.57 £7.04
$16.94 £12.46
-43.51%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 £2.02
$3.3 £2.43
-16.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 £1.21
$1.87 £1.37
-12.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.29 £2.42
$3.95 £2.91
-16.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.74 £4.22
$4.35 £3.2
31.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 £1.26
$2.14 £1.58
-20.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.52 £1.12
$1.81 £1.33
-16.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.2 £0.88
$1.31 £0.97
-8.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 £1.23
$1.5 £1.1
11.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.83 £14.59
$18.67 £13.74
6.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.17 £6.75
$10.44 £7.68
-12.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.16 £2.33
$2.58 £1.9
22.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.5 £2.57
$3.46 £2.54
1.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Cardiff
Manchester
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.16 £2.33
$2.74 £2.02
15.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.6 £57.8
$123 £90.2
-35.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4 £2.94
$5.3 £3.9
-24.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.47 £1.82
$2.92 £2.15
-15.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.26 £14.91
$33.89 £24.94
-40.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 £1.44
$1.88 £1.38
4.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.9K £28.6K
$38.3K £28.2K
1.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$56.2K £41.3K
$40.9K £30.1K
37.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cardiff
Manchester
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$285 £210
$293 £215
-2.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.42 £15.02
$22.46 £16.53
-9.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.1 £32.45
$43.09 £31.71
2.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cardiff
Manchester
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.58 £28.39
$41.03 £30.19
-5.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.29 £6.1
$15.53 £11.43
-46.62%
Cinema Ticket
$8.02 £5.9
$13.75 £10.12
-41.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cardiff
Manchester
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,017 £1,484
$1,981 £1,458
1.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$32.6K £24K
$20.6K £15.2K
58.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cardiff
Manchester
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.4 £51.8
$91.8 £67.5
-23.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.74 £27.03
$41.44 £30.49
-11.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.4 £54
$87.9 £64.7
-16.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$66 £48.59
$106 £78
-37.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cardiff
Manchester
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,305 £961
$1,595 £1,174
-18.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,128 £830
$1,267 £932
-10.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,530 £1,862
$2,742 £2,018
-7.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,672 £1,231
$2,072 £1,525
-19.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,739 £4,223
$5,685 £4,184
0.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,558 £2,618
$3,908 £2,876
-8.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cardiff
Manchester
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,942 £2,165
$3,332 £2,452
-11.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
5.92
1.35%

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

Last update for Cardiff: October 29, 2025

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

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