Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Manchester

For one person, living costs are similar in Cardiff and in Manchester: $2,454 and $2,544 a month, rent and utilities included.

119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,454

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,454 in Cardiff versus $2,544 in Manchester.

Cardiff $2,454
Manchester $2,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Cardiff versus $3,691 in Manchester.

Cardiff $3,414
Manchester $3,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,373 in Cardiff versus $4,839 in Manchester.

Cardiff $4,373
Manchester $4,839

Living in Cardiff costs roughly 4% less than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cardiff 82% above, Manchester 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 £15.04

$19.64 £14.74

2.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 £62.6

$87.7 £65.8

-4.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.06

$10.47 £7.85

2.58%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.34

$4.85 £3.64

-8.25%

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

$2.92 £2.19

$2.49 £1.87

17.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.68 £1.26

19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 £5.85

$7.75 £5.81

0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 £4.74

$6.72 £5.04

-5.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.43 £1.07

20.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.94 £1.45

-26.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.87 £1.40

14.97%

Eggs

$3.62 £2.72

$3.97 £2.98

-8.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 £7.11

$9.40 £7.05

0.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 £6.64

$9.02 £6.77

-1.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.18 £12.14

$15.39 £11.55

5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$3.09 £2.32

-9.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.58 £1.19

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 £2.63

$3.37 £2.52

4.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.50

$1.56 £1.17

27.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.36 £1.02

13.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 £0.82

$1.20 £0.90

-9.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.27 £0.95

29.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.08 £17.31

$23.80 £17.85

-3.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 £8.31

$11.11 £8.34

-0.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 £2.29

$2.50 £1.88

22.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.48

$3.12 £2.34

6.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 £2.41

$2.67 £2.00

20.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 £59.3

$104 £77.8

-23.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 £3.44

$4.51 £3.39

1.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 £1.25

$2.18 £1.64

-23.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.87 £26.91

$29.56 £22.18

21.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$2.11 £1.58

-2.37%

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

$37.9K £28.4K

$37.5K £28.1K

1.07%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.3K £30.2K

1.39%

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

$335 £252

$250 £188

34.08%

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

$25.35 £19.02

$16.38 £12.29

54.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.54 £32.67

$40.35 £30.27

7.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.26 £27.95

$55.5 £41.65

-32.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.37 £8.53

$18.33 £13.75

-37.97%

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 £7.77

$13.11 £9.84

-20.98%

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

$1,990 £1,493

$1,240 £930

60.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K £24.4K

$19.5K £14.6K

67.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.8 £73.4

$84.5 £63.4

15.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.54 £36.41

$41.39 £31.05

17.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 £86.9

$91.6 £68.7

26.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 £74.6

$103 £77.6

-3.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,827 £1,371

-36.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 £826

$1,267 £950

-13.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 £1,602

$3,044 £2,284

-29.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 £1,112

$1,983 £1,488

-25.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,255 £3,942

$4,537 £3,403

15.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,432 £2,575

$4,324 £3,244

-20.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,179 £2,385

$3,329 £2,498

-4.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

4.82

6.02%

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

Last update for Cardiff: October 12, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.9%

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8% 15% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cardiff

$404 16.5%

Manchester

$307 12.1% 24.1% $97

Eating Out

Cardiff

$317 12.9%

Manchester

$316 12.4% 0.5% $1.6

Groceries & Markets

Cardiff

$306 12.5%

Manchester

$299 11.8% 2.3% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Cardiff

$163 6.6%

Manchester

$144 5.7% 11.2% $18

Getting Around

Cardiff

$105 4.3%

Manchester

$130 5.1% 23.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cardiff

$58 2.4%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 41% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,168 in Cardiff and $1,827 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83.0 in Cardiff vs $88.0 in Manchester. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $299, with Manchester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

Same time as Cardiff

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,100

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

On the map

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Between locations

Cardiff Manchester 230 km

From you

Cardiff
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Cardiff vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cardiff and Manchester differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,454 vs $2,544 including rent). Cardiff is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Manchester. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,168 in Cardiff versus $1,827 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cardiff – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $88.0 in Manchester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,454 per month in Cardiff versus $2,544 in Manchester – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,454 in Cardiff versus $2,544 in Manchester, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cardiff but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Cardiff the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cardiff and Manchester are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cardiff gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.