Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Crawley

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $2,891 in Crawley, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Crawley
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Crawley Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Crawley

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Crawley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Manchester versus $2,891 in Crawley.

Manchester $2,499
Crawley $2,891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,623 in Manchester versus $4,276 in Crawley.

Manchester $3,623
Crawley $4,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,747 in Manchester versus $5,662 in Crawley.

Manchester $4,747
Crawley $5,662

Living in Manchester costs roughly 14% less than in Crawley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 84% above, Crawley 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.11

$26.93 £20.11

-24.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.3

$88.5 £66.1

-2.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.02

$10.45 £7.80

2.78%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.50

$4.89 £3.65

-4.29%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$2.87 £2.15

-14.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.99 £1.49

-18.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$6.14 £4.59

26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.01

$6.08 £4.54

10.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.48 £1.11

2.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.40 £1.05

34.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.71 £2.03

-28.41%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$4.04 £3.02

0.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.18

$11.19 £8.36

-14.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.71

$8.52 £6.37

5.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.51

$13.29 £9.93

15.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$2.96 £2.21

4.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.52 £1.13

3.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$3.00 £2.24

-1.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.10 £1.57

59.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.56 £1.17

-3.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.31 £0.98

-3.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.51 £1.13

-18.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.96

$23.77 £17.76

1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.13

$13.46 £10.06

-19.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$2.23 £1.67

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.37

$2.72 £2.03

16.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$3.95 £2.95

-30.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.6

$151 £113

-28.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$6.52 £4.87

-30.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

$4.63 £3.46

-52.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.03

$13.57 £10.13

127.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.88 £1.40

13.83%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$38.2K £28.5K

0.82%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$40.1K £30.0K

-0.23%

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

$252 £189

$306 £229

-17.62%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$20.81 £15.55

-22.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.57

$47.59 £35.55

-16.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.88

$58.7 £43.82

-27.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.49

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.04

$13.47 £10.06

-0.22%

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

$1,494 £1,116

$1,859 £1,389

-19.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$8,006 £5,981

146.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.4

$76.2 £56.9

9.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.10

$53.9 £40.28

-20.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.0

$115 £86.0

-17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.1

$133 £99.3

-20.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,334

$1,708 £1,276

4.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £913

$1,403 £1,048

-12.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,189

$2,762 £2,063

6.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,419

$2,449 £1,830

-22.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,487

$6,421 £4,797

-27.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,285

$5,949 £4,445

-26.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,536

$3,220 £2,405

5.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.06

-4.74%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Crawley: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Crawley

$1.4K 48.6% 14.8% $181

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Crawley

$368 12.7% 15.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Crawley

$375 13% 21.6% $67

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Crawley

$293 10.1% 2% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Crawley

$170 5.9% 15.5% $23

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Crawley

$196 6.8% 46% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Crawley

$86 3% 23.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,785 in Manchester and $1,708 in Crawley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $86 in Manchester vs $88 in Crawley. Groceries flip the comparison at $299 vs $293, with Crawley cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Crawley

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

112,448

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manchester Crawley 300 km

From you

Manchester
Crawley

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 Crawley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Crawley. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Manchester the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $1,785 in Manchester versus $1,708 in Crawley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,499 per month in Manchester versus $2,891 in Crawley – Manchester is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Manchester runs roughly 28% less than in Crawley. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.