Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlow and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Harlow: $2,330 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Manchester despite lower rent and utilities.

113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,330

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,330 in Harlow versus $2,532 in Manchester.

Harlow $2,330
Manchester $2,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,407 in Harlow versus $3,686 in Manchester.

Harlow $3,407
Manchester $3,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,483 in Harlow versus $4,839 in Manchester.

Harlow $4,483
Manchester $4,839

Living in Harlow costs roughly 8% less than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Harlow 72% above, Manchester 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.01 £15.76

$20.23 £15.18

3.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.7 £68.8

$87.1 £65.3

5.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.86

$10.83 £8.12

-3.32%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.81 £3.61

13.72%

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

$2.63 £1.97

$2.44 £1.83

7.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.62 £1.21

14.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 £5.11

$7.82 £5.87

-12.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 £5.15

$6.48 £4.86

6.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.45 £1.09

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.95 £1.47

-27.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 £0.84

$1.86 £1.40

-40.32%

Eggs

$2.38 £1.79

$4.05 £3.04

-41.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.83 £5.12

$9.76 £7.32

-30.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 £4.54

$9.11 £6.83

-33.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.45 £4.84

$15.52 £11.64

-58.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$3.20 £2.40

-35.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.52 £1.14

-19.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 £0.87

$3.02 £2.26

-61.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$3.34 £2.51

-39.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.55 £1.17

5.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.30 £0.98

3.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.22 £0.92

9.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.28 £0.96

11.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.29 £15.97

$23.68 £17.77

-10.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.33 £7.00

$10.88 £8.16

-14.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.02

$2.55 £1.91

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.53

$3.15 £2.36

-35.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$2.68 £2.01

1.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 £4.38

$4.42 £3.31

32.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.20 £1.65

-23.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.15 £15.87

$30.45 £22.85

-30.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$2.04 £1.53

-5.88%

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

$39.0K £29.2K

$39.2K £29.4K

-0.45%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$40.3K £30.2K

-0.32%

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

$226 £169

$252 £189

-10.24%

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

$11.95 £8.97

$16.62 £12.47

-28.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.54 £21.41

$40.61 £30.47

-29.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.10 £35.34

$55.1 £41.32

-14.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 £6.05

$18.02 £13.52

-55.27%

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 £9.42

$13.26 £9.95

-5.28%

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

$1,061 £796

$1,252 £939

-15.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.8K

$19.9K £14.9K

-0.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 £51.6

$84.2 £63.2

-18.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.19 £24.15

$42.72 £32.05

-24.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 £57.8

$92.2 £69.2

-16.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.33 £29.51

$106 £79.8

-63.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 £1,053

$1,789 £1,342

-21.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 £996

$1,242 £932

6.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 £1,708

$3,014 £2,261

-24.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,182 £1,637

$1,961 £1,471

11.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,013 £2,260

$3,460 £2,596

-12.94%

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 Harlow: October 18, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harlow

$1.3K 57%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 6.4% $85

Eating Out

Harlow

$331 14.2%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 3.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harlow

$266 11.4%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 15.9% $42

Groceries & Markets

Harlow

$210 9%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 43.5% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Harlow

$98 4.2%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 49.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Harlow

$72 3.1%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 13% $9.4

Getting Around

Harlow

$25 * 1.1%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 423% $106

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,403 in Harlow and $1,789 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 15% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $92.0 in Harlow vs $87.0 in Manchester. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $301, with Harlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Harlow

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

Same time as Harlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,191

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

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Highest

Between locations

Harlow Manchester 250 km

From you

Harlow
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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

Harlow vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harlow and Manchester differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,330 vs $2,532 including rent). Harlow is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Manchester. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,403 in Harlow versus $1,789 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Manchester. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,330 per month in Harlow versus $2,532 in Manchester – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,330 in Harlow versus $2,532 in Manchester, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Harlow but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Harlow the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Harlow and Manchester are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Harlow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.