Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Bradford

For one person, living is cheaper in Bradford: $2,137 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Bradford
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Bradford Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Bradford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Bradford

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

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Manchester vs $2,137 in Bradford, rent included.

Manchester $2,499
Bradford $2,137

A couple spends around $3,623 per month in Manchester vs $3,090 in Bradford, rent included.

Manchester $3,623
Bradford $3,090

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Manchester vs $4,043 in Bradford, rent included.

Manchester $4,747
Bradford $4,043

Manchester costs about 17% more than Bradford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Bradford sit above the global median – Manchester by 84%, Bradford by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.11

$20.93 £15.64

-3.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.3

$71.3 £53.3

20.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.02

$11.80 £8.82

-8.98%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.50

$3.44 £2.57

36.05%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$2.40 £1.79

1.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.04 £1.53

-20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$4.65 £3.47

67.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.01

$4.17 £3.11

60.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.25 £0.93

20.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.42 £1.06

32.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$3.74 £2.80

-48.13%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$3.71 £2.77

9.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.18

$7.92 £5.92

21.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.71

$7.06 £5.28

27.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.51

$13.98 £10.45

10.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$3.15 £2.35

-1.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$2.85 £2.13

-44.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$3.52 £2.63

-16.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$3.82 £2.85

-12.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.73 £1.29

-12.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.79 £1.34

-24.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.15 £0.86

9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.92 £1.43

-35.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.96

$22.78 £17.02

5.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.13

$9.22 £6.89

18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$4.80 £3.59

-49.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.37

$3.57 £2.67

-11.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$2.65 £1.98

3.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.6

$115 £86.2

-6.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$4.36 £3.25

3.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.03

$33.15 £24.76

-7.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.99 £1.49

7.54%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$38.7K £28.9K

-0.60%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$39.8K £29.7K

0.59%

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

$252 £189

$353 £263

-28.41%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$26.05 £19.46

-37.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.57

$44.31 £33.11

-10.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.88

$35.57 £26.58

19.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.49

$19.79 £14.78

-8.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.04

$17.40 £13.00

-22.76%

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

$1,494 £1,116

$1,596 £1,192

-6.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.4

$108 £80.7

-22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.10

$57.0 £42.59

-24.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.0

$114 £85.1

-16.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.1

$112 £84.0

-5.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,334

$877 £655

103.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £913

$734 £548

66.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,189

$1,375 £1,027

113.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,419

$1,123 £839

69.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,487

$3,947 £2,948

18.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,285

$2,746 £2,051

60.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,536

$3,443 £2,572

-1.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.53

-12.84%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bradford: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Bradford

$734 34.3% 40% $488

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Bradford

$293 13.7% 7.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Bradford

$423 19.8% 37.2% $115

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Bradford

$309 14.5% 3.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Bradford

$176 8.2% 19.5% $29

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Bradford

$130 * 6.1% 3.1% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Bradford

$70 3.3% 1.2% $0.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,785 in Manchester versus $877 in Bradford. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester versus $71 in Bradford. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Manchester vs $309 in Bradford – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Bradford

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

293,717

💱 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

Manchester Bradford 48 km

From you

Manchester
Bradford

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

Manchester vs Bradford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,499 in Manchester, $2,137 in Bradford – Bradford comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Manchester and $3,205 in Bradford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bradford, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $877 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Manchester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester and $71 in Bradford. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,499 in Manchester and $2,137 in Bradford, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Manchester has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,137 in Bradford to $2,499 in Manchester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.