Cost of Living Comparison Between Chelmsford and Manchester Cost of Living Comparison Between Chelmsford and Manchester

😐 Solo nomad: Chelmsford is 10.2% more expensive than Manchester without rent, and 9% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chelmsford is 3.9% more expensive than Manchester without rent, and 3.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chelmsford
Manchester
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.67 £15.21
$20.43 £15.04
1.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82 £60.3
$95.8 £70.5
-14.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.41 £6.93
$10.68 £7.86
-11.89%
Cappuccino
$4.56 £3.35
$5.05 £3.72
-9.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 £2.24
$2.57 £1.89
18.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 £1.37
$1.73 £1.28
8.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.36 £5.42
$7.26 £5.34
1.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.34 £4.66
$7.48 £5.51
-15.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chelmsford
Manchester
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 £1.32
$1.63 £1.2
9.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.89 £1.39
$1.72 £1.26
9.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 £1.46
$2.17 £1.6
-8.76%
Eggs
$3.7 £2.73
$3.89 £2.86
-4.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.8 £7.21
$12.14 £8.93
-19.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.66 £7.11
$9.7 £7.14
-0.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.24 £11.95
$16.94 £12.46
-4.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.44 £1.8
$3.3 £2.43
-26.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.28 £0.94
$1.87 £1.37
-31.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.49 £2.56
$3.95 £2.91
-11.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.66 £3.43
$4.35 £3.2
7.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.69 £1.25
$2.14 £1.58
-21.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.4 £1.03
$1.81 £1.33
-22.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 £0.88
$1.31 £0.97
-9.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 £1.28
$1.5 £1.1
16.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.66 £13.73
$18.67 £13.74
-0.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.12 £6.71
$10.44 £7.68
-12.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.74 £2.01
$2.58 £1.9
6.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 £2.71
$3.46 £2.54
6.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Chelmsford
Manchester
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4 £2.94
$2.74 £2.02
45.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$70.7 £52
$123 £90.2
-42.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 £3.5
$5.3 £3.9
-10.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 £1.26
$2.92 £2.15
-41.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.67 £19.63
$33.89 £24.94
-21.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.89 £1.39
$1.88 £1.38
0.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K £26.3K
$38.3K £28.2K
-6.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K £28.3K
$40.9K £30.1K
-6.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chelmsford
Manchester
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 £151
$293 £215
-30.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.35 £11.3
$22.46 £16.53
-31.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.02 £26.51
$43.09 £31.71
-16.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chelmsford
Manchester
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.4 £38.59
$41.03 £30.19
27.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.53 £11.43
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.75 £10.12
$13.75 £10.12
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chelmsford
Manchester
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,367 £1,006
$1,981 £1,458
-30.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.5K £9,167
$20.6K £15.2K
-39.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chelmsford
Manchester
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 £75.5
$91.8 £67.5
11.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.42 £31.95
$41.44 £30.49
4.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 £84.4
$87.9 £64.7
30.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 £89.9
$106 £78
15.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chelmsford
Manchester
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,444 £1,063
$1,595 £1,174
-9.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,200 £883
$1,267 £932
-5.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,811 £2,069
$2,742 £2,018
2.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,574 £1,894
$2,072 £1,525
24.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$5,685 £4,184
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,908 £2,876
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chelmsford
Manchester
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,307 £2,433
$3,332 £2,452
-0.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.73
5.92
-3.21%

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

Last update for Chelmsford: October 28, 2025

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

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