Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Crewe

For one person, living is cheaper in Crewe: $2,219 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Crewe
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Crewe Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Crewe

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Crewe

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $2,219 in Crewe, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Crewe $2,219

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $3,421 in Crewe, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Crewe $3,421

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $4,623 in Crewe, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Crewe $4,623

Manchester costs about 14% more than Crewe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Crewe sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Crewe by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$26.92 £20.20

-24.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$93.3 £70.0

-6.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.35 £7.76

4.64%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.93 £3.70

-2.43%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.11 £1.58

15.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.40 £1.05

15.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$6.62 £4.97

18.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$5.54 £4.15

16.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.53 £1.15

-5.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.18 £0.89

65.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.35 £1.77

-20.85%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$3.61 £2.71

12.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$7.79 £5.85

25.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$8.38 £6.29

8.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$16.98 £12.74

-8.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.64 £1.98

21.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.36 £1.02

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.57 £1.93

17.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$2.84 £2.13

17.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.55 £1.16

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.61 £1.21

-19.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.03 £0.78

18.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.63 £1.22

-21.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.91 £17.93

-0.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$10.47 £7.85

3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.00 £2.25

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$3.96 £2.97

-20.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$4.04 £3.03

-33.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$59.8 £44.84

76.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$5.21 £3.91

-15.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.89 £2.92

-43.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$24.17 £18.13

25.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.98 £1.49

3.03%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$37.8K £28.3K

3.71%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$39.8K £29.8K

1.24%

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

$252 £189

$453 £340

-44.41%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$15.72 £11.79

5.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$48.20 £36.16

-15.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$52.2 £39.15

5.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$15.07 £11.31

-12.01%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,177 £883

6.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$20.0K £15.0K

-0.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$107 £80.2

-21.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$33.85 £25.40

26.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$82.1 £61.6

12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$97.1 £72.8

9.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$828 £621

116.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$724 £543

71.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$1,767 £1,326

70.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$1,519 £1,139

29.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$3,298 £2,474

38.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$3,360 £2,521

29.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$2,977 £2,234

16.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.55

-13.15%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Crewe: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Crewe

$724 32.6% 41.7% $518

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Crewe

$364 16.4% 13.5% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Crewe

$517 23.3% 67.3% $208

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Crewe

$288 13% 4.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Crewe

$144 6.5% 1.7% $2.5

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Crewe

$101 4.5% 23.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Crewe

$82 3.7% 0.9% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Manchester versus $828 in Crewe. 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 partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Manchester versus $93.0 in Crewe. Groceries tell a different story – $301 in Manchester vs $288 in Crewe – so Crewe wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Crewe

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

75,556

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Manchester Crewe 44 km

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Manchester
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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 Crewe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester costs about 14% more than Crewe, 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 $3,329 in Crewe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,252 per month in Manchester and $1,177 in Crewe. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Manchester, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Crewe, where all-in costs run around $2,219, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Crewe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Crewe costs $2,219 versus $2,532 in Manchester. 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 Crewe. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manchester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.