Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houghton, MI and Telford

For one person, living is cheaper in Telford: $2,057 a month against $2,736 in Houghton, MI, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Houghton, MI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

124

Cost of Living Index in Houghton, MI
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Houghton, MI Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Telford
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Telford Living Index

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Houghton, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,736

/mo nomad

Telford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Houghton, MI and in Telford

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Houghton, MI and in Telford actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,736 in Houghton, MI versus $2,057 in Telford.

Houghton, MI $2,736
Telford $2,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,593 in Houghton, MI versus $2,957 in Telford.

Houghton, MI $3,593
Telford $2,957

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,449 in Houghton, MI versus $3,857 in Telford.

Houghton, MI $4,449
Telford $3,857

Living in Houghton, MI is roughly 33% more expensive than in Telford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houghton, MI 102% above, Telford 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 $13.78

$20.11 £15.09

-31.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.55 $39.55

$73.8 £55.4

-46.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 $10.37

$9.75 £7.32

6.36%

Cappuccino

$4.13 $4.13

$4.21 £3.16

-1.90%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$2.70 £2.03

2.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.07 £0.80

51.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$5.98 £4.48

-0.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.38 $7.38

$6.64 £4.98

11.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.60 £1.20

-37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.02 £0.77

309.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.34 $6.34

$1.33 £1.00

376.69%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$3.28 £2.46

20.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 $12.31

$7.28 £5.46

69.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.79 $10.79

$9.30 £6.98

16.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.97 $10.97

$11.77 £8.83

-6.80%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.43 £1.82

109.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.81 £1.36

-34.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$2.50 £1.88

70.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.73 £2.05

74.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.86 £1.40

50.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.03 £1.52

48.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.97 £0.72

127.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.35 £1.01

8.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 $10.18

$19.87 £14.91

-48.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$10.14 £7.60

47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$5.71 £4.29

-65.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$5.33 £4.00

-38.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$4.08 £3.06

-50.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 £114

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$6.99 £5.24

-56.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.97 £2.98

-62.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.22 $29.22

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.86 £1.39

-56.45%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$40.1K £30.1K

-37.36%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$44.3K £33.3K

-42.76%

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

$280 $280

$280 £210

0.13%

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

$57.6 $57.6

$21.76 £16.33

164.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$35.29 £26.48

95.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.96 $36.96

$47.31 £35.49

-21.88%

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 $14.18

$17.21 £12.91

-17.61%

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

$1,249 $1,249

$1,570 £1,178

-20.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$23.5K £17.6K

-2.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$53.1 £39.84

1.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 $41.58

$25.38 £19.04

63.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$99.3 £74.5

-12.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$135 £101

-19.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 $1,833

$845 £634

117.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 $1,484

$720 £540

106.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,318 $2,318

$1,243 £932

86.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 $1,967

$1,011 £758

94.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,546 $1,546

$4,015 £3,012

-61.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 $1,550

$8,592 £6,446

-81.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,603 $2,603

$3,283 £2,463

-20.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.3

23.96%

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

Last update for Houghton, MI: October 18, 2026

Last update for Telford: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Houghton, MI

$1.5K 54.2%

Telford

$720 35% 51.5% $764

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houghton, MI

$407 14.9%

Telford

$337 16.4% 17.2% $70

Groceries & Markets

Houghton, MI

$377 13.8%

Telford

$284 13.8% 24.7% $93

Eating Out

Houghton, MI

$253 9.3%

Telford

$299 14.5% 18.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Houghton, MI

$131 4.8%

Telford

$141 6.8% 7.5% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Houghton, MI

$65 2.4%

Telford

$82 4% 25.1% $16

Getting Around

Houghton, MI

$19 * 0.7%

Telford

$195 9.5% 950% $176

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 $1,833 in Houghton, MI and $845 in Telford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Telford pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Houghton, MI vs $74.0 in Telford. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $284, with Telford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houghton, MI

🇬🇧 Telford

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

20:31 8:31 PM

5 h ahead of Houghton, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

180,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Houghton, MI Telford 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Houghton, MI
Telford

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

Houghton, MI vs Telford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Telford is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Telford. 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: $1,833 in Houghton, MI versus $845 in Telford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Houghton, MI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,736 per month in Houghton, MI versus $2,057 in Telford – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,057 in Telford versus $2,736 in Houghton, MI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Telford but tight or insufficient in Houghton, MI. The gap between the two cities makes Telford 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, Houghton, MI and Telford 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 Telford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Houghton, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.