Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Hertfordshire

For one person, living costs are similar in Manchester and in Hertfordshire: $2,499 and $2,499 a month, rent and utilities included.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Hertfordshire
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Hertfordshire Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Hertfordshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Hertfordshire

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

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

Manchester $2,499
Hertfordshire $2,499

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,623 in Manchester versus $3,774 in Hertfordshire.

Manchester $3,623
Hertfordshire $3,774

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,747 in Manchester versus $5,049 in Hertfordshire.

Manchester $4,747
Hertfordshire $5,049

Monthly costs are close between Manchester and Hertfordshire; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.10

$26.87 £20.07

-24.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.2

$81.1 £60.6

6.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.02

$10.61 £7.93

1.23%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.49

$5.14 £3.84

-8.95%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$2.42 £1.80

0.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.08 £1.56

-22.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$5.50 £4.11

41.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.00

$5.62 £4.20

19.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.53 £1.14

-1.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.91 £1.43

-1.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.78 £2.07

-30.22%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$3.64 £2.71

12.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.17

$7.83 £5.85

22.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.71

$7.38 £5.51

21.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.51

$16.87 £12.59

-8.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$3.28 £2.45

-5.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.54 £1.15

2.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.20

$3.03 £2.26

-2.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$3.40 £2.54

-1.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.16 £0.87

30.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.82 £1.36

-25.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.30 £0.97

-5.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £17.95

$20.92 £15.62

14.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.13

$10.09 £7.53

7.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.81

$2.01 £1.50

20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.36

$1.96 £1.46

61.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$3.54 £2.64

-22.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.6

$85.7 £64.0

25.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$4.05 £3.02

11.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.66

$3.94 £2.94

-43.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.01

$32.16 £24.02

-4.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.00 £1.50

7.00%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$38.3K £28.6K

0.32%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$39.8K £29.7K

0.63%

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

$252 £189

$158 £118

60.19%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$17.19 £12.83

-5.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.56

$43.88 £32.77

-9.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £31.86

$46.49 £34.71

-8.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.48

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.04

$13.52 £10.10

-0.59%

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

$1,494 £1,116

$1,620 £1,210

-7.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.7K

$22.4K £16.7K

-12.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.4

$47.28 £35.30

76.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.09

$39.28 £29.33

9.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £70.9

$74.0 £55.3

28.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.1

$113 £84.0

-5.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,333

$1,787 £1,334

-0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £913

$1,307 £976

-6.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,188

$2,899 £2,164

1.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,418

$2,311 £1,725

-17.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,486

$5,001 £3,734

-6.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,283

$3,819 £2,852

15.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,535

$3,256 £2,431

4.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.21

-7.49%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hertfordshire: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Hertfordshire

$1.3K 52.3% 6.9% $85

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Hertfordshire

$365 14.6% 14.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Hertfordshire

$219 8.8% 29.1% $90

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Hertfordshire

$288 11.5% 3.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Hertfordshire

$123 4.9% 16.6% $24

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Hertfordshire

$124 5% 8.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Hertfordshire

$74 2.9% 5.7% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,785 in Manchester and $1,787 in Hertfordshire. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 4% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $86 in Manchester vs $81 in Hertfordshire for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $288 per month, with Hertfordshire cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Hertfordshire

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

33,990

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Manchester Hertfordshire 220 km

From you

Manchester
Hertfordshire

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 Hertfordshire: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 4% 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 $1,787 in Hertfordshire. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hertfordshire runs roughly 21% less than in Manchester. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Manchester. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Hertfordshire wins on affordability, Manchester on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.