Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Retford

For one person, living is cheaper in Retford: $2,255 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Retford
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Retford Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Retford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Retford

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $2,255 in Retford, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Retford $2,255

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $3,343 in Retford, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Retford $3,343

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $4,432 in Retford, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Retford $4,432

Manchester costs about 12% more than Retford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Retford sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Retford by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$14.72 £11.04

37.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$66.5 £49.87

31.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$7.14 £5.36

51.68%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$3.88 £2.91

23.97%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$1.75 £1.31

39.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.78 £1.33

-8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$4.30 £3.22

81.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$4.34 £3.26

49.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.72 £1.29

-15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.83 £1.38

6.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.64 £1.23

13.41%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.66 £3.50

-13.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$11.18 £8.39

-12.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$10.16 £7.62

-10.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$12.50 £9.38

24.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.09 £1.56

53.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.80 £1.35

-15.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$1.76 £1.32

71.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$1.74 £1.31

91.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.48 £1.11

4.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.58 £1.19

-17.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$0.42 £0.31

190.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.56 £1.17

-17.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.33 £17.50

1.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$7.77 £5.83

40.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$1.70 £1.27

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$2.04 £1.53

54.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$3.65 £2.74

-26.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$108 £80.7

-1.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$4.93 £3.70

-10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.91 £2.93

-43.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$28.85 £21.64

5.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.09 £1.57

-2.39%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$40.1K £30.1K

-2.45%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$44.2K £33.2K

-8.90%

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

$252 £189

$342 £257

-26.40%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$27.87 £20.91

-40.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$46.53 £34.91

-12.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$52.7 £39.53

4.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$11.50 £8.62

15.30%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,926 £1,445

-35.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$23.9K £17.9K

-16.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$85.1 £63.9

-1.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$60.8 £45.59

-29.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$109 £81.4

-15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$161 £121

-33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,398 £1,049

28.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$924 £693

34.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$2,099 £1,575

43.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$1,675 £1,257

17.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$5,059 £3,796

-10.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$3,851 £2,889

12.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$1,711 £1,283

102.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.3

-9.06%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Retford: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Retford

$924 41% 25.6% $318

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Retford

$230 10.2% 28.2% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Retford

$416 18.5% 34.8% $107

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Retford

$276 12.2% 8.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Retford

$187 8.3% 27.7% $41

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Retford

$147 6.5% 11.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Retford

$76 3.4% 7.3% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Manchester versus $1,398 in Retford. 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 102% 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 $66.0 in Retford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $276 – making Retford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Retford

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

22,023

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manchester Retford 88 km

From you

Manchester
Retford

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 Retford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,798 per month in Manchester and $3,383 in Retford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Retford, 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 $1,926 in Retford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% 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 $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Retford, where all-in costs run around $2,255, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Retford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Retford. 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.