Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Cardiff Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Cardiff

😐 Solo nomad: Manchester is 10.6% more expensive than Cardiff without rent, and 13.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Manchester is 13.8% more expensive than Cardiff without rent, and 17.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Manchester
Cardiff
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.43 £15.04
$20.26 £14.91
0.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$95.8 £70.5
$88.8 £65.4
7.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.68 £7.86
$10.74 £7.9
-0.56%
Cappuccino
$5.05 £3.72
$4.83 £3.55
4.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 £1.89
$2.51 £1.85
2.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 £1.28
$1.72 £1.27
0.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.26 £5.34
$6.75 £4.97
7.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.48 £5.51
$6.17 £4.54
21.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Manchester
Cardiff
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 £1.2
$1.93 £1.42
-15.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 £1.26
$1.77 £1.3
-2.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 £1.6
$3.1 £2.28
-30.00%
Eggs
$3.89 £2.86
$4.45 £3.28
-12.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.14 £8.93
$10.44 £7.69
16.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.7 £7.14
$9.08 £6.68
6.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.94 £12.46
$9.57 £7.04
77.01%
Apples (1kg)
$3.3 £2.43
$2.75 £2.02
20.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 £1.37
$1.64 £1.21
14.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.95 £2.91
$3.29 £2.42
20.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.35 £3.2
$5.74 £4.22
-24.22%
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 £1.58
$1.71 £1.26
25.15%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 £1.33
$1.52 £1.12
19.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 £0.97
$1.2 £0.88
9.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.5 £1.1
$1.67 £1.23
-10.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.67 £13.74
$19.83 £14.59
-5.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.44 £7.68
$9.17 £6.75
13.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.58 £1.9
$3.16 £2.33
-18.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 £2.54
$3.5 £2.57
-1.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Manchester
Cardiff
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.74 £2.02
$3.16 £2.33
-13.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$123 £90.2
$78.6 £57.8
55.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.3 £3.9
$4 £2.94
32.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.92 £2.15
$2.47 £1.82
18.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.89 £24.94
$20.26 £14.91
67.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 £1.38
$1.96 £1.44
-4.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.2K
$38.9K £28.6K
-1.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.1K
$56.2K £41.3K
-27.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manchester
Cardiff
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$293 £215
$285 £210
2.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.46 £16.53
$20.42 £15.02
9.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.09 £31.71
$44.1 £32.45
-2.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Manchester
Cardiff
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.03 £30.19
$38.58 £28.39
6.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.53 £11.43
$8.29 £6.1
87.33%
Cinema Ticket
$13.75 £10.12
$8.02 £5.9
71.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Manchester
Cardiff
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,981 £1,458
$2,017 £1,484
-1.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.6K £15.2K
$32.6K £24K
-36.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Manchester
Cardiff
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.8 £67.5
$70.4 £51.8
30.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 £30.49
$36.74 £27.03
12.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.9 £64.7
$73.4 £54
19.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 £78
$66 £48.59
60.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Manchester
Cardiff
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 £1,174
$1,305 £961
22.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,267 £932
$1,128 £830
12.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,742 £2,018
$2,530 £1,862
8.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,072 £1,525
$1,672 £1,231
23.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,685 £4,184
$5,739 £4,223
-0.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,908 £2,876
$3,558 £2,618
9.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Manchester
Cardiff
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,332 £2,452
$2,942 £2,165
13.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.92
6
-1.33%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

Last update for Cardiff: October 29, 2025

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