Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colchester and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Colchester: $2,298 a month against $2,544 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Colchester
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Colchester Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Colchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,298

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,298 per month in Colchester vs $2,544 in Manchester, rent included.

Colchester $2,298
Manchester $2,544

A couple spends around $3,409 per month in Colchester vs $3,691 in Manchester, rent included.

Colchester $3,409
Manchester $3,691

A family of three spends $4,521 per month in Colchester vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Colchester $4,521
Manchester $4,839

Colchester is about 10% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Colchester and Manchester sit above the global median – Colchester by 70%, Manchester by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.69 £15.52

$19.64 £14.74

5.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.0 £69.1

$87.7 £65.8

4.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.96

$10.47 £7.85

1.34%

Cappuccino

$5.41 £4.06

$4.85 £3.64

11.55%

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

$2.72 £2.04

$2.49 £1.87

9.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.68 £1.26

5.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 £5.30

$7.75 £5.81

-8.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 £5.22

$6.72 £5.04

3.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.43 £1.07

0.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.94 £1.45

-28.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.87 £1.40

-10.16%

Eggs

$2.98 £2.23

$3.97 £2.98

-24.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 £6.91

$9.40 £7.05

-2.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 £5.69

$9.02 £6.77

-15.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 £10.86

$15.39 £11.55

-5.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 £2.37

$3.09 £2.32

1.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.58 £1.19

-12.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 £2.10

$3.03 £2.28

-7.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$3.37 £2.52

-2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.56 £1.17

1.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.36 £1.02

6.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.20 £0.90

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.27 £0.95

10.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.30 £17.48

$23.80 £17.85

-2.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.73 £8.05

$11.11 £8.34

-3.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 £2.07

$2.50 £1.88

10.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

$3.12 £2.34

12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.72 £2.79

$2.67 £2.00

39.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £75.6

$104 £77.8

-2.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 £4.33

$4.51 £3.39

27.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 £1.01

$2.18 £1.64

-38.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.93 £15.70

$29.56 £22.18

-29.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.11 £1.58

-3.32%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$37.5K £28.1K

1.79%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$40.3K £30.2K

-1.39%

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

$252 £189

$250 £188

0.56%

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

$24.86 £18.65

$16.38 £12.29

51.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.54 £31.16

$40.35 £30.27

2.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.8 £50.8

$55.5 £41.65

22.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.75 £8.07

$18.33 £13.75

-41.35%

Cinema Ticket

$21.25 £15.94

$13.11 £9.84

62.09%

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

$1,061 £796

$1,240 £930

-14.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K £15.1K

$19.5K £14.6K

3.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 £53.1

$84.5 £63.4

-16.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.15 £23.37

$41.39 £31.05

-24.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 £58.6

$91.6 £68.7

-14.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.87 £37.41

$103 £77.6

-51.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 £943

$1,827 £1,371

-31.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 £771

$1,267 £950

-18.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 £1,392

$3,044 £2,284

-39.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 £1,263

$1,983 £1,488

-15.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,983 £3,739

$4,537 £3,403

9.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,357 £2,519

$4,324 £3,244

-22.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,499 £2,625

$3,329 £2,498

5.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

4.82

1.87%

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

Last update for Colchester: 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

Colchester

$1K 44.7%

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8% 23.3% $239

Eating Out

Colchester

$330 14.3%

Manchester

$316 12.4% 4.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colchester

$318 13.8%

Manchester

$307 12.1% 3.5% $11

Groceries & Markets

Colchester

$281 12.2%

Manchester

$299 11.8% 6.3% $18

Getting Around

Colchester

$128 5.6%

Manchester

$130 5.1% 1.3% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Colchester

$110 4.8%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 25.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Colchester

$103 4.5%

Manchester

$144 5.7% 39.7% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,256 in Colchester versus $1,827 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 5% higher in Colchester, 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 $92.0 in Colchester versus $88.0 in Manchester. Groceries tell a different story – $281 in Colchester vs $299 in Manchester – so Colchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Colchester

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

Same time as Colchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,098

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colchester Manchester 280 km

From you

Colchester
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

Colchester vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,298 in Colchester, $2,544 in Manchester – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,447 per month in Colchester and $3,816 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Colchester, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Colchester. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,061 per month in Colchester and $1,240 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Colchester, where all-in costs run around $2,298, than in Manchester at $2,544. In Colchester it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Manchester has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,298 in Colchester to $2,544 in Manchester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Colchester. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manchester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.