Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guildford and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $3,168 in Guildford, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Guildford
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Guildford Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Guildford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,168

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,168 per month in Guildford vs $2,499 in Manchester, rent included.

Guildford $3,168
Manchester $2,499

A couple spends around $4,474 per month in Guildford vs $3,623 in Manchester, rent included.

Guildford $4,474
Manchester $3,623

A family of three spends $5,779 per month in Guildford vs $4,747 in Manchester, rent included.

Guildford $5,779
Manchester $4,747

Guildford costs about 27% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guildford and Manchester sit above the global median – Guildford by 133%, Manchester by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.72 £22.20

$20.22 £15.11

46.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.3 £69.7

$86.0 £64.3

8.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 £8.39

$10.74 £8.02

4.56%

Cappuccino

$5.04 £3.76

$4.68 £3.50

7.69%

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

$2.71 £2.02

$2.44 £1.82

11.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.16

$1.62 £1.21

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.56 £6.39

$7.78 £5.81

10.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$6.70 £5.01

2.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.15

$1.51 £1.12

2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 £0.99

$1.88 £1.41

-29.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.94 £1.45

1.55%

Eggs

$4.36 £3.25

$4.08 £3.04

6.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 £10.13

$9.61 £7.18

41.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 £7.65

$8.98 £6.71

14.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 £12.07

$15.41 £11.51

4.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 £2.64

$3.09 £2.31

14.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 £1.58

$1.58 £1.18

34.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 £2.79

$2.95 £2.20

26.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.43 £4.05

$3.35 £2.50

62.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.51 £1.13

27.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.35 £1.01

6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.26 £0.94

-8.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.23 £0.92

20.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.07 £17.98

$24.05 £17.96

0.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 £8.93

$10.88 £8.13

9.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.86

$2.43 £1.81

2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.29

$3.17 £2.37

-3.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$2.73 £2.04

14.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.2 £70.4

$108 £80.6

-12.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 £3.44

$4.52 £3.37

1.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 £1.51

$2.22 £1.66

-9.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.80 £30.48

$30.82 £23.03

32.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.52

$2.14 £1.60

-4.67%

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

$39.2K £29.3K

$38.5K £28.7K

1.83%

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

$41.1K £30.7K

$40.0K £29.9K

2.65%

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

$398 £297

$252 £189

57.55%

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

$20.59 £15.38

$16.23 £12.12

26.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.34 £34.62

$39.58 £29.57

17.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 £38.62

$42.67 £31.88

21.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.22

$18.05 £13.49

27.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 £7.85

$13.44 £10.04

-21.80%

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

$2,390 £1,786

$1,494 £1,116

59.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K £18.3K

$19.7K £14.7K

24.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 £82.8

$83.5 £62.4

32.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 £49.90

$42.97 £32.10

55.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 £88.1

$95.0 £71.0

24.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.0

$106 £79.1

20.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 £1,454

$1,785 £1,334

8.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 £1,175

$1,222 £913

28.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,908 £2,173

$2,930 £2,189

-0.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,363 £1,765

$1,899 £1,419

24.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,969 £5,953

$4,668 £3,487

70.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,803 £5,083

$4,397 £3,285

54.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,678 £2,748

$3,395 £2,536

8.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.13

4.82

6.43%

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

Last update for Guildford: October 27, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guildford

$1.6K 49.7%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 22.3% $351

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guildford

$465 14.7%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 33.7% $156

Eating Out

Guildford

$405 12.8%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 21.4% $87

Groceries & Markets

Guildford

$340 10.7%

Manchester

$299 12% 12.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Guildford

$190 6%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 22.5% $43

Getting Around

Guildford

$121 3.8%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 10.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Guildford

$73 2.3%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 4.3% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,946 in Guildford 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 8% higher in Guildford, 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 $93 in Guildford versus $86 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $299 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Guildford

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

Same time as Guildford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,773

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

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Guildford Manchester 270 km

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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

Guildford vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guildford is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,752 per month in Guildford and $3,749 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,946 in Guildford and $1,785 in Manchester. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Guildford, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93 in Guildford and $86 in Manchester. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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, Guildford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.