Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chester and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Chester: $2,405 a month against $2,510 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Chester
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Chester Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Chester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,405

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,405 per month in Chester vs $2,510 in Manchester, rent included.

Chester $2,405
Manchester $2,510

A couple spends around $3,486 per month in Chester vs $3,643 in Manchester, rent included.

Chester $3,486
Manchester $3,643

A family of three spends $4,568 per month in Chester vs $4,776 in Manchester, rent included.

Chester $4,568
Manchester $4,776

Chester is about 4% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chester and Manchester sit above the global median – Chester by 78%, Manchester by 86%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.88 £14.80

$20.16 £15.01

-1.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 £65.6

$87.5 £65.1

0.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.94

$10.78 £8.03

-1.02%

Cappuccino

$5.24 £3.90

$4.78 £3.56

9.62%

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

$2.55 £1.90

$2.62 £1.95

-2.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.34

$1.74 £1.30

3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 £4.89

$7.92 £5.90

-16.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 £4.94

$6.52 £4.85

1.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.35 £1.00

26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.88 £1.40

-6.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.71

$1.92 £1.43

19.79%

Eggs

$4.23 £3.15

$4.04 £3.01

4.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 £6.79

$9.58 £7.13

-4.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 £6.67

$9.26 £6.89

-3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 £10.61

$15.66 £11.66

-8.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.19

$3.07 £2.28

-4.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.53 £1.14

12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.13

$2.91 £2.17

-1.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 £2.22

$3.53 £2.63

-15.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 £1.49

$1.54 £1.15

29.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.38 £1.03

6.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.21 £0.90

4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.38 £1.03

18.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.13 £17.96

$24.21 £18.02

-0.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 £8.33

$11.05 £8.23

1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.26

$2.49 £1.85

21.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.42

$2.90 £2.16

12.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.07

$2.61 £1.94

58.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.8 £54.2

$109 £81.2

-33.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 £3.52

$4.47 £3.33

5.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 £1.27

$2.21 £1.64

-22.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.77 £16.20

$30.93 £23.03

-29.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.18 £1.62

-5.50%

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

$38.4K £28.6K

$39.2K £29.2K

-2.23%

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

$40.9K £30.4K

$39.9K £29.7K

2.39%

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

$322 £239

$248 £185

29.52%

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

$21.03 £15.65

$16.31 £12.14

28.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.39 £31.55

$39.73 £29.58

6.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.10 £26.87

$42.93 £31.96

-15.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 £11.39

$17.99 £13.39

-14.90%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 £10.08

$13.46 £10.02

0.59%

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

$1,775 £1,321

$1,448 £1,078

22.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K £18.0K

$21.0K £15.7K

14.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 £65.9

$83.3 £62.0

6.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 £28.47

$43.32 £32.25

-11.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.8

$95.4 £71.0

6.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.0 £68.5

$99.9 £74.4

-7.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 £1,043

$1,818 £1,353

-22.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 £810

$1,234 £918

-11.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 £1,605

$2,925 £2,177

-26.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 £1,270

$1,921 £1,430

-11.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 £3,238

$4,751 £3,537

-8.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,187 £2,372

$4,313 £3,211

-26.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,138 £3,081

$3,798 £2,828

8.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

4.79

7.52%

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

Last update for Chester: October 31, 2026

Last update for Manchester: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chester

$1.1K 45.2%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.2% 13.4% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chester

$385 16%

Manchester

$304 12.1% 21% $81

Eating Out

Chester

$317 13.2%

Manchester

$321 12.8% 1.2% $3.7

Groceries & Markets

Chester

$305 12.7%

Manchester

$301 12% 1.2% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chester

$144 6%

Manchester

$145 5.8% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Chester

$103 4.3%

Manchester

$135 5.4% 31.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Chester

$63 2.6%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 10.6% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,401 in Chester versus $1,818 in Manchester. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Chester, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Chester versus $87 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $305 vs $301 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chester

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

Same time as Chester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,000

503,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chester Manchester 54 km

From you

Chester
Manchester

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

Chester vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester costs about 4% more than Chester, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,608 per month in Chester and $3,765 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chester, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,401 there versus $1,818 in Manchester.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,405 in Chester and $2,510 in Manchester. That makes Chester about 4% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Chester. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,405 in Chester and $2,510 in Manchester. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Manchester has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,405 in Chester to $2,510 in Manchester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.