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

😐 Solo nomad: Manchester is 1.4% more expensive than Chelmsford without rent, and 9.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Manchester is 5.6% more expensive than Chelmsford without rent, and 4.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.33 £15.02
$20.70 £15.30
-1.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$96.4 £71.3
$82.6 £61.0
16.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.79 £7.97
$9.67 £7.15
11.58%
Cappuccino
$5.04 £3.73
$4.68 £3.46
7.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 £1.91
$3.05 £2.26
-15.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 £1.25
$1.95 £1.44
-13.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.41 £5.47
$7.68 £5.68
-3.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.52 £5.56
$6.54 £4.83
14.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 £1.25
$1.80 £1.33
-6.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.74 £1.29
$1.81 £1.34
-3.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 £1.66
$1.96 £1.45
14.29%
Eggs
$4.11 £3.04
$3.60 £2.66
14.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.17 £8.99
$9.90 £7.32
22.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 £6.90
$9.67 £7.15
-3.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.36 £12.83
$16.82 £12.43
3.21%
Apples (1kg)
$3.22 £2.38
$2.47 £1.83
30.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 £1.31
$1.24 £0.91
42.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.94 £2.91
$3.49 £2.58
12.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.36 £3.22
$4.58 £3.38
-4.80%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 £1.54
$1.68 £1.24
24.40%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 £1.38
$1.40 £1.04
33.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 £0.97
$1.14 £0.84
15.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 £1.05
$1.67 £1.23
-14.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.92 £13.98
$19.04 £14.07
-0.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.72 £7.92
$12.28 £9.07
-12.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.53 £1.87
$2.71 £2.00
-6.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.47 £2.57
$3.52 £2.60
-1.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.76 £2.04
$4.01 £2.96
-31.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$122 £89.9
$71.0 £52.5
71.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.52 £4.08
$4.77 £3.53
15.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.94 £2.17
$1.73 £1.28
69.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.51 £24.77
$26.82 £19.82
24.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.98 £1.47
$1.87 £1.38
5.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.9K £28.8K
$35.7K £26.4K
8.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.2K £30.5K
$38.0K £28.1K
8.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$296 £219
$212 £156
39.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.89 £16.92
$15.10 £11.16
51.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.45 £32.11
$34.77 £25.70
24.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.06 £31.08
$51.7 £38.19
-18.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.93 £11.77
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.43 £9.93
$13.75 £10.16
-2.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,956 £1,446
$1,408 £1,040
38.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.9K £15.5K
$12.5K £9,218
67.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.6 £67.0
$105 £77.7
-13.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.37 £30.57
$42.18 £31.17
-1.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.2 £65.9
$112 £82.8
-20.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 £80.0
$121 £89.6
-10.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,640 £1,212
$1,473 £1,089
11.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,256 £928
$1,234 £912
1.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,700 £1,996
$2,719 £2,009
-0.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,083 £1,539
$2,557 £1,890
-18.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,717 £3,486
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,596 £3,396
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Manchester
Chelmsford
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,399 £2,512
$3,253 £2,404
4.50%
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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Chelmsford: April 14, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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