Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ely, Cambridgeshire and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Ely, Cambridgeshire: $2,366 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in Ely, Cambridgeshire
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Ely, Cambridgeshire Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Ely, Cambridgeshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,366

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,366 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire vs $2,499 in Manchester, rent included.

Ely, Cambridgeshire $2,366
Manchester $2,499

A couple spends around $3,574 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire vs $3,623 in Manchester, rent included.

Ely, Cambridgeshire $3,574
Manchester $3,623

A family of three spends $4,782 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire vs $4,747 in Manchester, rent included.

Ely, Cambridgeshire $4,782
Manchester $4,747

Ely, Cambridgeshire is about 5% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ely, Cambridgeshire and Manchester sit above the global median – Ely, Cambridgeshire by 74%, Manchester by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.41 £18.37

$20.22 £15.22

20.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.5 £71.2

$86.0 £64.7

9.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.42 £10.10

$10.74 £8.08

24.95%

Cappuccino

$5.30 £3.99

$4.68 £3.52

13.25%

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

$2.44 £1.84

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 £1.34

$1.62 £1.22

9.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.25 £3.95

$7.78 £5.85

-32.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 £2.56

$6.70 £5.04

-49.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.51 £1.13

-20.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 £1.23

$1.88 £1.42

-13.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 £1.98

$1.94 £1.46

36.08%

Eggs

$3.57 £2.69

$4.08 £3.07

-12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 £7.93

$9.61 £7.23

9.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 £8.47

$8.98 £6.76

25.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.01 £12.80

$15.41 £11.60

10.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 £3.02

$3.09 £2.33

29.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.58 £1.19

-13.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 £1.92

$2.95 £2.22

-13.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 £3.18

$3.35 £2.52

26.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.51 £1.14

4.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$1.35 £1.01

16.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.26 £0.95

-7.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.23 £0.93

21.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.48 £16.17

$24.05 £18.10

-10.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.47 £7.88

$10.88 £8.19

-3.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.58

$2.43 £1.83

-13.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 £2.20

$3.17 £2.38

-7.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.78 £4.35

$2.73 £2.06

111.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.0 £42.87

$108 £81.2

-47.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 £3.21

$4.52 £3.40

-5.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 £1.70

$2.22 £1.67

1.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.20

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$2.14 £1.61

-2.34%

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

$40.3K £30.3K

$38.5K £28.9K

4.77%

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

$41.3K £31.1K

$40.0K £30.1K

3.23%

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

$277 £208

$252 £190

9.63%

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

$16.37 £12.32

$16.23 £12.21

0.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.76 £24.65

$39.58 £29.79

-17.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.33 £32.61

$42.67 £32.12

1.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.99 £12.04

$18.05 £13.59

-11.41%

Cinema Ticket

$16.06 £12.09

$13.44 £10.12

19.49%

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

$1,727 £1,300

$1,494 £1,125

15.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K £11.0K

$19.7K £14.8K

-25.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.9 £73.7

$83.5 £62.9

17.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 £41.84

$42.97 £32.34

29.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 £92.1

$95.0 £71.5

28.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.8

$106 £79.7

-2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 £875

$1,785 £1,344

-34.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 £775

$1,222 £920

-15.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,876 £1,412

$2,930 £2,205

-35.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 £1,327

$1,899 £1,429

-7.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,761 £4,335

$4,668 £3,513

23.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,185 £3,902

$4,397 £3,309

17.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,306 £2,488

$3,395 £2,555

-2.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.62

4.82

-4.15%

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

Last update for Ely, Cambridgeshire: October 24, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$1K 43.5%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 18.7% $192

Eating Out

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$349 14.8%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 8.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$326 13.8%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 5.4% $18

Groceries & Markets

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$319 13.5%

Manchester

$299 12% 6.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$171 7.2%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 13.7% $23

Getting Around

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$96 4%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 40.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$75 3.2%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 7.8% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,162 in Ely, Cambridgeshire 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 3% higher in Manchester, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95 in Ely, Cambridgeshire versus $86 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $299 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ely, Cambridgeshire

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

Same time as Ely, Cambridgeshire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,574

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

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Ely, Cambridgeshire Manchester 210 km

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Ely, Cambridgeshire
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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

Ely, Cambridgeshire vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,549 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire 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 Ely, Cambridgeshire, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,162 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,366 in Ely, Cambridgeshire and $2,499 in Manchester. That makes Ely, Cambridgeshire about 5% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Ely, Cambridgeshire. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Manchester has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,366 in Ely, Cambridgeshire to $2,499 in Manchester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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