Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Croydon

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $2,932 in Croydon, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
140

Cost of Living Index in Croydon
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Croydon Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Croydon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Croydon

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

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Manchester vs $2,932 in Croydon, rent included.

Manchester $2,499
Croydon $2,932

A couple spends around $3,623 per month in Manchester vs $3,998 in Croydon, rent included.

Manchester $3,623
Croydon $3,998

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Manchester vs $5,065 in Croydon, rent included.

Manchester $4,747
Croydon $5,065

Manchester is about 15% cheaper than Croydon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Manchester and Croydon sit above the global median – Manchester by 84%, Croydon by 115%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.11

$20.18 £15.07

0.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.3

$72.2 £53.9

19.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.02

$9.65 £7.21

11.30%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.50

$5.10 £3.81

-8.24%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$2.73 £2.04

-10.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.47 £1.10

10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$6.08 £4.54

27.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.01

$6.14 £4.58

9.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.60 £1.20

-5.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.41 £1.05

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.69 £2.01

-27.88%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$3.98 £2.97

2.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.18

$10.46 £7.82

-8.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.71

$8.15 £6.09

10.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.51

$13.41 £10.02

14.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$2.38 £1.78

29.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.25 £0.93

26.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$3.05 £2.28

-3.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.10 £1.57

59.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$3.12 £2.33

-51.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.84 £1.37

-26.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.48 £1.11

-14.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.50 £1.12

-18.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.96

$23.45 £17.52

2.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.13

$13.27 £9.92

-18.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$2.35 £1.75

3.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.37

$2.75 £2.05

15.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$2.30 £1.72

18.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.6

$134 £99.9

-19.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$6.59 £4.92

-31.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.03

$54.0 £40.32

-42.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.01 £1.50

6.47%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$39.0K £29.1K

-1.26%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$41.4K £30.9K

-3.28%

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

$252 £189

$316 £236

-20.10%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$29.89 £22.33

-45.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.57

$39.53 £29.53

0.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.88

$36.99 £27.63

15.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.49

$20.15 £15.05

-10.42%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.04

$12.03 £8.99

11.72%

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

$1,494 £1,116

$1,692 £1,264

-11.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$23.7K £17.7K

-16.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.4

$65.9 £49.19

26.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.10

$48.74 £36.41

-11.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.0

$93.9 £70.1

1.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.1

$150 £112

-29.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,334

$2,014 £1,505

-11.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £913

$1,572 £1,174

-22.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,189

$2,814 £2,102

4.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,419

$2,186 £1,633

-13.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,487

$8,032 £6,000

-41.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,285

$5,784 £4,321

-23.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,536

$4,462 £3,334

-23.92%

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 Croydon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Croydon

$1.6K 53.6% 28.6% $350

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Croydon

$311 10.6% 2.4% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Croydon

$385 13.1% 25% $77

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Croydon

$292 10% 2.2% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Croydon

$161 5.5% 9.4% $14

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Croydon

$150 * 5.1% 11.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Croydon

$61 2.1% 12.2% $8.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,785 in Manchester versus $2,014 in Croydon. 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 31% higher in Croydon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester versus $72 in Croydon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $292 – making Croydon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Croydon

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

173,314

💱 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 Croydon 280 km

From you

Manchester
Croydon

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 Croydon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Croydon is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Manchester and $4,398 in Croydon. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,785 there versus $2,014 in Croydon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester and $72 in Croydon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Manchester. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Manchester – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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