Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Chatham

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,532 a month against $2,947 in Chatham, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Chatham
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Chatham Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Chatham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Chatham

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $2,947 in Chatham, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Chatham $2,947

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $4,017 in Chatham, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Chatham $4,017

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $5,088 in Chatham, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Chatham $5,088

Manchester is about 14% cheaper than Chatham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Chatham sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Chatham by 118%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$13.40 £10.05

50.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$94.9 £71.2

-8.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$9.85 £7.39

9.95%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$3.75 £2.82

28.27%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.95 £2.21

-17.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.68 £1.26

-3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$6.38 £4.78

22.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$6.83 £5.12

-5.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.90 £1.43

-23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$2.10 £1.57

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.10 £1.58

-11.43%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.09 £3.07

-0.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$10.74 £8.06

-9.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$9.29 £6.97

-1.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$15.54 £11.66

-0.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.10 £2.33

3.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.92 £1.44

-20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.71 £2.03

11.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$3.67 £2.75

-8.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$2.01 £1.51

-22.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.82 £1.37

-28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.15 £0.86

6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.71 £1.28

-25.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$21.64 £16.24

9.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$10.94 £8.21

-0.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.06 £2.29

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$2.37 £1.78

32.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$4.04 £3.03

-33.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$114 £85.6

-7.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$5.10 £3.83

-13.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.58 £1.94

-14.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$20.18 £15.14

50.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.09 £1.56

-2.39%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.9K £29.2K

0.65%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$37.1K £27.8K

8.59%

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

$252 £189

$287 £215

-12.32%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$16.80 £12.61

-1.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$26.54 £19.91

53.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$114 £85.8

-51.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

$9.37 £7.03

92.32%

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$17.40 £13.05

-23.79%

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

$1,252 £939

$2,080 £1,561

-39.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$30.4K £22.8K

-34.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$91.6 £68.7

-8.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$45.69 £34.28

-6.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$105 £78.4

-11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$91.5 £68.6

16.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$2,050 £1,538

-12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$1,601 £1,201

-22.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$2,430 £1,823

24.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$2,090 £1,568

-6.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$7,877 £5,909

-42.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$7,449 £5,588

-41.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$2,972 £2,230

16.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.12

-5.86%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chatham: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Chatham

$1.6K 54.3% 28.9% $359

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Chatham

$246 8.3% 23.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Chatham

$330 11.2% 7% $21

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Chatham

$323 11% 7.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Chatham

$150 5.1% 2.4% $3.5

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Chatham

$148 5% 12.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Chatham

$149 5.1% 82.8% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Manchester versus $2,050 in Chatham. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 16% higher in Manchester, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Manchester versus $95.0 in Chatham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $323 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Chatham

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

76,792

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manchester Chatham 300 km

From you

Manchester
Chatham

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 Chatham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chatham costs about 16% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,798 per month in Manchester and $4,421 in Chatham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manchester, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,532 in Manchester and $2,947 in Chatham. That's a gap of about 16%.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Manchester. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,532 in Manchester and $2,947 in Chatham. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manchester costs $2,532 versus $2,947 in Chatham. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Manchester. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chatham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.