Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Chelmsford Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Chelmsford

🙂 Solo nomad: Manchester is 9.3% cheaper than Chelmsford without rent, and 9.9% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Manchester is 3.7% cheaper than Chelmsford without rent, and 3.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.43 £15.04
$20.67 £15.21
-1.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$95.8 £70.5
$82 £60.3
16.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.68 £7.86
$9.41 £6.93
13.50%
Cappuccino
$5.05 £3.72
$4.56 £3.35
10.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 £1.89
$3.04 £2.24
-15.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 £1.28
$1.87 £1.37
-7.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.26 £5.34
$7.36 £5.42
-1.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.48 £5.51
$6.34 £4.66
17.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 £1.2
$1.79 £1.32
-8.94%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 £1.26
$1.89 £1.39
-8.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 £1.6
$1.98 £1.46
9.60%
Eggs
$3.89 £2.86
$3.7 £2.73
5.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.14 £8.93
$9.8 £7.21
23.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.7 £7.14
$9.66 £7.11
0.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.94 £12.46
$16.24 £11.95
4.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.3 £2.43
$2.44 £1.8
35.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 £1.37
$1.28 £0.94
46.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.95 £2.91
$3.49 £2.56
13.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.35 £3.2
$4.66 £3.43
-6.65%
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 £1.58
$1.69 £1.25
26.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 £1.33
$1.4 £1.03
29.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 £0.97
$1.19 £0.88
10.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.5 £1.1
$1.74 £1.28
-13.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.67 £13.74
$18.66 £13.73
0.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.44 £7.68
$9.12 £6.71
14.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.58 £1.9
$2.74 £2.01
-5.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 £2.54
$3.68 £2.71
-5.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.74 £2.02
$4 £2.94
-31.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$123 £90.2
$70.7 £52
73.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.3 £3.9
$4.76 £3.5
11.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.92 £2.15
$1.71 £1.26
70.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.89 £24.94
$26.67 £19.63
27.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 £1.38
$1.89 £1.39
-0.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.2K
$35.7K £26.3K
7.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.1K
$38.5K £28.3K
6.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$293 £215
$205 £151
42.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.46 £16.53
$15.35 £11.3
46.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.09 £31.71
$36.02 £26.51
19.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.03 £30.19
$52.4 £38.59
-21.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.53 £11.43
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.75 £10.12
$13.75 £10.12
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,981 £1,458
$1,367 £1,006
44.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.6K £15.2K
$12.5K £9,167
65.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.8 £67.5
$103 £75.5
-10.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 £30.49
$43.42 £31.95
-4.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.9 £64.7
$115 £84.4
-23.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 £78
$122 £89.9
-13.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 £1,174
$1,444 £1,063
10.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,267 £932
$1,200 £883
5.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,742 £2,018
$2,811 £2,069
-2.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,072 £1,525
$2,574 £1,894
-19.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,685 £4,184
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,908 £2,876
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,332 £2,452
$3,307 £2,433
0.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.92
5.73
3.32%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

Last update for Chelmsford: October 28, 2025

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