Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Braintree

For one person, living is cheaper in Braintree: $2,195 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Braintree
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Braintree Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Braintree

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,195

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Braintree

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 Braintree actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Manchester vs $2,195 in Braintree, rent included.

Manchester $2,499
Braintree $2,195

A couple spends around $3,623 per month in Manchester vs $3,258 in Braintree, rent included.

Manchester $3,623
Braintree $3,258

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Manchester vs $4,321 in Braintree, rent included.

Manchester $4,747
Braintree $4,321

Manchester costs about 14% more than Braintree, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Manchester and Braintree sit above the global median – Manchester by 84%, Braintree by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.10

$19.58 £14.62

3.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.2

$93.5 £69.8

-7.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.02

$10.45 £7.80

2.78%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.49

$4.78 £3.57

-2.09%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$1.82 £1.36

34.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.16 £0.86

39.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$6.51 £4.86

19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.00

$6.07 £4.53

10.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.44 £1.08

4.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.39 £1.04

35.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.62 £1.21

19.75%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$3.14 £2.34

29.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.17

$8.72 £6.51

10.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.71

$7.76 £5.79

15.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.51

$12.71 £9.49

21.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$3.17 £2.36

-2.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.41 £1.05

12.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$2.51 £1.87

17.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.85 £2.13

17.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.65 £1.23

-8.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.42 £1.06

-4.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.25 £0.94

0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.41 £1.05

-12.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.95

$23.26 £17.37

3.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.13

$9.34 £6.97

16.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$2.68 £2.00

-9.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.36

$2.47 £1.84

28.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$3.61 £2.69

-24.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.6

$96.3 £71.9

12.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$4.96 £3.70

-8.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

$1.35 £1.01

64.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.01

$21.38 £15.96

44.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.06 £1.54

3.88%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$38.9K £29.1K

-1.15%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$40.4K £30.2K

-0.92%

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

$252 £189

$249 £186

1.29%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$14.32 £10.69

13.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.56

$40.27 £30.07

-1.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.86

$46.11 £34.43

-7.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.48

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.04

$20.92 £15.62

-35.76%

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

$1,494 £1,116

$1,080 £807

38.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$20.0K £15.0K

-1.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.4

$70.8 £52.8

18.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.09

$31.00 £23.14

38.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £70.9

$78.4 £58.6

21.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.1

$50.6 £37.81

109.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,333

$1,247 £931

43.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £913

$1,009 £754

21.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,188

$2,145 £1,602

36.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,418

$1,654 £1,235

14.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,486

$5,080 £3,793

-8.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,283

$3,911 £2,920

12.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,535

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

4.67

3.21%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Braintree: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Braintree

$1K 46% 17.4% $213

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Braintree

$302 13.8% 5.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Braintree

$304 13.8% 1.4% $4.4

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Braintree

$266 12.1% 11% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Braintree

$104 4.7% 29.5% $43

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Braintree

$122 5.6% 8.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Braintree

$88 4% 26.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,785 in Manchester versus $1,247 in Braintree. 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 $93 in Braintree. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Manchester vs $266 in Braintree – so Braintree wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Braintree

🕒 Local time

00:11 12:11 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

151,677

💱 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

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Between locations

Manchester Braintree 260 km

From you

Manchester
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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

Manchester vs Braintree: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,499 in Manchester, $2,195 in Braintree – Braintree comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Manchester and $3,293 in Braintree. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Braintree, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,247 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Manchester, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester and $93 in Braintree. 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 $2,195 in Braintree, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Braintree – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.