Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Cardiff

For one person, living costs are similar in Manchester and in Cardiff: $2,510 and $2,503 a month, rent and utilities included.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,510

/mo nomad

Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Cardiff

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Manchester versus $2,503 in Cardiff.

Manchester $2,510
Cardiff $2,503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,643 in Manchester versus $3,495 in Cardiff.

Manchester $3,643
Cardiff $3,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,776 in Manchester versus $4,488 in Cardiff.

Manchester $4,776
Cardiff $4,488

Monthly costs are close between Manchester and Cardiff; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 86% above, Cardiff 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.16 £14.98

$20.04 £14.89

0.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 £65.0

$86.1 £64.0

1.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.01

$10.89 £8.10

-1.01%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.55

$4.68 £3.48

2.14%

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

$2.62 £1.95

$3.25 £2.41

-19.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.29

$2.04 £1.52

-14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 £5.89

$7.87 £5.85

0.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 £4.84

$6.26 £4.66

4.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 £1.00

$1.80 £1.34

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.39

$1.43 £1.06

31.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 £1.42

$2.16 £1.61

-11.11%

Eggs

$4.04 £3.01

$3.82 £2.84

5.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 £7.12

$9.19 £6.83

4.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.88

$8.52 £6.33

8.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 £11.64

$16.06 £11.94

-2.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.28

$2.84 £2.11

8.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.50 £1.11

2.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.16

$3.01 £2.24

-3.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.62

$3.59 £2.67

-1.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.96 £1.46

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.56 £1.16

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.07 £0.80

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.65 £1.22

-16.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.21 £17.99

$23.35 £17.35

3.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.05 £8.21

$11.03 £8.20

0.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 £1.85

$3.03 £2.25

-17.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 £2.15

$3.20 £2.38

-9.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.94

$3.29 £2.45

-20.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 £81.1

$80.8 £60.0

35.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 £3.32

$4.72 £3.50

-5.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.74 £1.30

27.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.93 £22.99

$36.00 £26.75

-14.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 £1.62

$2.15 £1.60

1.40%

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

$39.2K £29.2K

$39.0K £29.0K

0.51%

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

$39.9K £29.7K

$40.3K £29.9K

-0.95%

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

$248 £185

$348 £258

-28.55%

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

$16.31 £12.12

$26.30 £19.54

-37.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 £29.53

$45.28 £33.65

-12.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.93 £31.91

$36.60 £27.20

17.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.99 £13.37

$11.88 £8.83

51.43%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 £10.01

$10.83 £8.05

24.28%

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

$1,448 £1,076

$2,229 £1,656

-35.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K £15.6K

$27.5K £20.4K

-23.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 £61.9

$99.9 £74.2

-16.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 £32.19

$48.38 £35.95

-10.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 £70.9

$122 £90.4

-21.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 £74.2

$99.5 £73.9

0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 £1,351

$1,292 £960

40.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 £917

$1,125 £836

9.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,925 £2,174

$2,129 £1,582

37.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 £1,428

$1,547 £1,149

24.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,751 £3,531

$5,337 £3,966

-10.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,313 £3,206

$3,503 £2,603

23.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,798 £2,823

$3,642 £2,707

4.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.11

-6.26%

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

Last update for Manchester: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cardiff: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.2%

Cardiff

$1.1K 45% 8.8% $108

Eating Out

Manchester

$321 12.8%

Cardiff

$322 12.9% 0.3% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$304 12.1%

Cardiff

$419 16.7% 37.7% $115

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 12%

Cardiff

$304 12.2% 1.1% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$145 5.8%

Cardiff

$166 6.6% 14.7% $21

Getting Around

Manchester

$135 5.4%

Cardiff

$107 4.3% 20.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Cardiff

$58 2.3% 16.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,818 in Manchester and $1,292 in Cardiff. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 4% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Manchester vs $86 in Cardiff. Groceries flip the comparison at $301 vs $304, with Manchester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

346,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manchester Cardiff 230 km

From you

Manchester
Cardiff

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 Cardiff: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 4% higher in Manchester, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,818 in Manchester versus $1,292 in Cardiff. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,448 in Manchester versus $2,229 in Cardiff. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Cardiff runs roughly 26% less than in Manchester. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Cardiff gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Cardiff wins on affordability, Manchester on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.