Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Croydon and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $2,932 in Croydon, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Croydon
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Croydon Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Croydon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,932

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,932 per month in Croydon vs $2,499 in Manchester, rent included.

Croydon $2,932
Manchester $2,499

A couple spends around $3,998 per month in Croydon vs $3,623 in Manchester, rent included.

Croydon $3,998
Manchester $3,623

A family of three spends $5,065 per month in Croydon vs $4,747 in Manchester, rent included.

Croydon $5,065
Manchester $4,747

Croydon costs about 17% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Croydon and Manchester sit above the global median – Croydon by 115%, Manchester by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 £15.07

$20.22 £15.10

-0.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.2 £53.9

$86.0 £64.2

-16.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.65 £7.21

$10.74 £8.02

-10.15%

Cappuccino

$5.10 £3.81

$4.68 £3.49

8.97%

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

$2.73 £2.04

$2.44 £1.82

11.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.62 £1.21

-9.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 £4.54

$7.78 £5.81

-21.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 £4.58

$6.70 £5.00

-8.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.51 £1.12

5.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 £1.05

$1.88 £1.41

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 £2.01

$1.94 £1.45

38.66%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.97

$4.08 £3.04

-2.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.46 £7.81

$9.61 £7.17

8.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 £6.08

$8.98 £6.71

-9.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 £10.01

$15.41 £11.51

-12.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 £1.78

$3.09 £2.31

-22.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.58 £1.18

-20.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$2.95 £2.20

3.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 £1.57

$3.35 £2.50

-37.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 £2.33

$1.51 £1.13

106.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 £1.37

$1.35 £1.01

36.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.26 £0.94

17.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.23 £0.92

21.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.45 £17.51

$24.05 £17.95

-2.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.27 £9.91

$10.88 £8.13

21.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.43 £1.81

-3.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 £2.05

$3.17 £2.36

-13.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 £1.72

$2.73 £2.04

-15.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$134 £99.9

$108 £80.6

23.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 £4.92

$4.52 £3.37

45.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$54.0 £40.30

$30.82 £23.01

75.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 £1.50

$2.14 £1.60

-6.07%

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

$39.0K £29.1K

$38.5K £28.7K

1.27%

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

$41.4K £30.9K

$40.0K £29.9K

3.40%

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

$316 £236

$252 £189

25.15%

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

$29.89 £22.32

$16.23 £12.12

84.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.53 £29.52

$39.58 £29.56

-0.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.99 £27.62

$42.67 £31.86

-13.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.15 £15.04

$18.05 £13.48

11.63%

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 £8.98

$13.44 £10.04

-10.49%

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

$1,692 £1,263

$1,494 £1,116

13.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K £17.7K

$19.7K £14.7K

20.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 £49.17

$83.5 £62.4

-21.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.74 £36.39

$42.97 £32.09

13.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 £70.1

$95.0 £70.9

-1.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 £112

$106 £79.1

41.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,014 £1,504

$1,785 £1,333

12.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 £1,174

$1,222 £913

28.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,814 £2,101

$2,930 £2,188

-3.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,186 £1,632

$1,899 £1,418

15.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,032 £5,997

$4,668 £3,486

72.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,784 £4,319

$4,397 £3,283

31.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,462 £3,332

$3,395 £2,535

31.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.06

4.82

4.98%

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

Last update for Croydon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Croydon

$1.6K 53.6%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 22.2% $350

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Croydon

$385 13.1%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 20% $77

Eating Out

Croydon

$311 10.6%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 2.4% $7.6

Groceries & Markets

Croydon

$292 10%

Manchester

$299 12% 2.3% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Croydon

$161 5.5%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 8.6% $14

Getting Around

Croydon

$150 * 5.1%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 10.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Croydon

$61 2.1%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 13.9% $8.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,014 in Croydon versus $1,785 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 31% higher in Croydon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Croydon versus $86 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $299 – making Croydon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Croydon

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

Same time as Croydon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,314

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

Croydon Manchester 280 km

From you

Croydon
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

Croydon vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Croydon is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,398 per month in Croydon and $3,749 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manchester, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,785 there versus $2,014 in Croydon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Croydon and $86 in Manchester. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Manchester. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Manchester – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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