Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Caernarfon

For one person, living is cheaper in Caernarfon: $1,224 a month against $2,563 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Caernarfon
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Caernarfon Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,563

/mo nomad

Caernarfon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Caernarfon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,563 in Manchester versus $1,224 in Caernarfon.

Manchester $2,563
Caernarfon $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,739 in Manchester versus $2,719 in Caernarfon.

Manchester $3,739
Caernarfon $2,719

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,915 in Manchester versus $4,214 in Caernarfon.

Manchester $4,915
Caernarfon $4,214

Living in Manchester is roughly 109% more expensive than in Caernarfon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manchester is 91% above, Caernarfon is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.48 £14.72

$13.17 £9.95

47.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.9 £65.7

$92.6 £70.0

-6.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 £7.98

$9.22 £6.96

14.64%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.61

$3.92 £2.97

21.94%

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

$2.52 £1.90

$2.51 £1.90

0.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.21

$1.95 £1.47

-17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 £5.95

$4.67 £3.53

68.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 £5.08

$3.87 £2.93

73.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.91 £1.45

-21.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.69 £1.27

15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 £1.46

$2.22 £1.68

-13.06%

Eggs

$3.99 £3.02

$2.33 £1.76

71.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 £7.21

$9.27 £7.00

2.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 £6.77

$7.45 £5.63

20.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 £11.53

$14.81 £11.19

3.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 £2.29

$2.49 £1.88

22.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.36 £1.03

16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 £2.28

$1.35 £1.02

122.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 £2.62

$1.34 £1.01

158.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 £1.13

$1.64 £1.24

-9.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.76 £1.33

-26.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.32 £1.00

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.96

$1.60 £1.21

-20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.04 £17.41

$22.32 £16.87

3.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.84 £8.19

$9.23 £6.97

17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 £1.83

$3.71 £2.80

-34.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.28 £2.48

-7.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 £1.94

$5.50 £4.15

-53.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.7

$67.5 £51.0

54.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 £3.39

$4.91 £3.71

-8.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 £1.57

$2.31 £1.75

-9.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 £22.46

$23.76 £17.96

25.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.59

$1.99 £1.50

6.03%

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

$38.8K £29.3K

$37.8K £28.5K

2.85%

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

$40.2K £30.4K

$40.5K £30.6K

-0.82%

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

$243 £184

$314 £237

-22.41%

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

$16.52 £12.48

$20.75 £15.68

-20.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.77 £30.05

$39.75 £30.04

0.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 £42.74

$30.26 £22.87

86.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 £13.63

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 £9.86

$15.92 £12.03

-18.03%

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

$1,246 £941

$1,589 £1,201

-21.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £15.1K

$24.1K £18.2K

-17.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 £63.0

$105 £79.1

-20.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 £32.00

$48.43 £36.60

-12.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 £71.3

$107 £80.7

-11.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.8

$77.8 £58.8

32.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,384

$646 £489

183.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 £935

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,095 £2,339

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 £1,516

$1,586 £1,199

26.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,607 £3,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,481 £3,386

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,438 £2,598

$3,590 £2,713

-4.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.09

-5.30%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 5, 2026

Last update for Caernarfon: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.4%

Caernarfon

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Manchester

$314 12.5%

Caernarfon

$229 19.2% 27.1% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$300 12%

Caernarfon

$374 31.3% 24.9% $75

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$298 11.9%

Caernarfon

$273 22.8% 8.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$145 5.8%

Caernarfon

$152 12.7% 4.6% $6.6

Getting Around

Manchester

$129 5.2%

Caernarfon

$106 8.9% 18.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$83 3.3%

Caernarfon

$62 5.2% 24.9% $21

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 $1,832 in Manchester and $646 in Caernarfon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caernarfon pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87.0 in Manchester vs $93.0 in Caernarfon. Groceries flip the comparison at $298 vs $273, with Caernarfon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Caernarfon

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

9,500

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Manchester Caernarfon 140 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

Manchester vs Caernarfon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caernarfon is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 109% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Caernarfon. 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: $1,832 in Manchester versus $646 in Caernarfon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Caernarfon – a meal for two runs $93.0 versus $87.0 in Manchester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,563 per month in Manchester versus $1,224 in Caernarfon – a 109% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,224 in Caernarfon versus $2,563 in Manchester, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Caernarfon but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Caernarfon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Caernarfon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Manchester, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Caernarfon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.