Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Caernarfon

For one person, living is cheaper in Caernarfon: $1,211 a month against $2,499 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Caernarfon
Learn more

Caernarfon Living Index

Jump to prices

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Caernarfon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,211

/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: $2,499 in Manchester versus $1,211 in Caernarfon.

Manchester $2,499
Caernarfon $1,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,623 in Manchester versus $2,727 in Caernarfon.

Manchester $3,623
Caernarfon $2,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,747 in Manchester versus $4,243 in Caernarfon.

Manchester $4,747
Caernarfon $4,243

Living in Manchester is roughly 106% 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 84% above, Caernarfon is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.17

$13.08 £9.82

54.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.5

$94.0 £70.5

-8.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.06

$9.57 £7.18

12.23%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.51

$3.98 £2.98

17.59%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.73 £2.05

-10.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.97 £1.48

-17.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.84

$4.89 £3.67

59.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.03

$4.06 £3.05

65.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.86 £1.40

-18.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.76 £1.32

6.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$2.22 £1.67

-12.61%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.06

$2.43 £1.83

67.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.21

$9.11 £6.83

5.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.74

$7.14 £5.35

25.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.56

$15.44 £11.58

-0.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.32

$2.66 £2.00

16.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.31 £0.98

20.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.21

$1.30 £0.97

126.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.52

$1.37 £1.03

144.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.71 £1.29

-11.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.81 £1.36

-25.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.38 £1.03

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.66 £1.24

-25.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £18.04

$22.58 £16.94

6.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.17

$9.08 £6.81

19.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.82

$3.80 £2.85

-36.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$3.54 £2.66

-10.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.05

$5.44 £4.08

-49.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £81.0

$67.0 £50.3

60.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.39

$4.97 £3.73

-9.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

$2.37 £1.78

-6.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.13

$23.60 £17.70

30.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.00 £1.50

7.00%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$38.4K £28.8K

0.07%

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

$40.0K £30.1K

$40.9K £30.7K

-2.02%

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

$252 £189

$320 £240

-21.13%

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

$16.23 £12.17

$21.68 £16.27

-25.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.70

$40.41 £30.32

-2.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £32.02

$29.92 £22.45

42.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.55

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.08

$16.22 £12.17

-17.14%

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

$1,494 £1,121

$1,608 £1,206

-7.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.8K

$24.1K £18.1K

-18.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.7

$105 £78.7

-20.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.24

$49.01 £36.77

-12.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.3

$108 £80.7

-11.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.5

$78.6 £59.0

34.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,340

$673 £505

165.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £917

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,199

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,425

$1,597 £1,198

18.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,503

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,299

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,547

$3,538 £2,655

-4.05%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Caernarfon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Caernarfon

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Caernarfon

$232 19.2% 27.1% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Caernarfon

$382 31.6% 24% $74

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Caernarfon

$276 22.8% 7.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Caernarfon

$153 12.6% 3.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Caernarfon

$106 8.7% 21.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Caernarfon

$62 5.2% 10.3% $7.2

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 $1,785 in Manchester and $673 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: $86 in Manchester vs $94 in Caernarfon. Groceries flip the comparison at $299 vs $276, with Caernarfon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Caernarfon

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

9,500

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manchester Caernarfon 140 km

From you

Manchester
Caernarfon

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 Caernarfon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caernarfon is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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: $1,785 in Manchester versus $673 in Caernarfon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Manchester – a meal for two runs $86 versus $94 in Caernarfon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,499 per month in Manchester versus $1,211 in Caernarfon – Caernarfon is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,211 in Caernarfon versus $2,499 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.

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.