Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Shrewsbury, Shropshire

For one person, living is cheaper in Shrewsbury, Shropshire: $2,060 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
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Shrewsbury, Shropshire Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Shrewsbury, Shropshire

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Manchester vs $2,060 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, rent included.

Manchester $2,532
Shrewsbury, Shropshire $2,060

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Manchester vs $2,922 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, rent included.

Manchester $3,686
Shrewsbury, Shropshire $2,922

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $3,784 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Shrewsbury, Shropshire $3,784

Manchester costs about 23% more than Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manchester and Shrewsbury, Shropshire sit above the global median – Manchester by 87%, Shrewsbury, Shropshire by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$19.87 £14.91

1.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$56.1 £42.08

55.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$8.76 £6.57

23.63%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.57 £3.43

5.25%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$3.00 £2.25

-18.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.47 £1.86

-34.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$5.30 £3.98

47.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$6.79 £5.10

-4.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.99 £1.50

-27.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$2.39 £1.79

-18.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.15 £1.61

-13.49%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.09 £3.07

-0.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$7.95 £5.96

22.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$9.08 £6.81

0.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$9.36 £7.02

65.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.07 £1.56

54.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.28 £0.96

18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.49 £1.87

21.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$1.16 £0.87

187.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.47 £1.10

5.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.07 £0.80

21.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$0.95 £0.71

28.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.20 £0.90

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.96 £17.97

-1.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$9.07 £6.80

19.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$2.62 £1.97

-2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$4.54 £3.40

-30.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$2.86 £2.15

-6.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$91.6 £68.7

15.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$6.12 £4.59

-27.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.96 £2.97

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.90 £1.42

7.37%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

-0.04%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

-0.07%

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

$252 £189

$203 £152

24.28%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$23.89 £17.93

-30.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$39.81 £29.87

2.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$76.8 £57.6

-28.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

$13.20 £9.91

36.52%

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$15.15 £11.37

-12.48%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,452 £1,090

-13.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$18.5K £13.9K

7.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$61.0 £45.74

38.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$46.80 £35.11

-8.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$83.7 £62.8

10.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$100 £75.3

6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,053 £790

70.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$859 £645

44.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$1,564 £1,174

92.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$1,213 £910

61.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$3,990 £2,993

14.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$2,948 £2,212

47.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$2,434 £1,826

42.18%

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 Shrewsbury, Shropshire: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$859 41.7% 30.8% $383

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$302 14.7% 5.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$266 12.9% 13.8% $43

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$265 12.9% 12% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$131 6.4% 10.3% $15

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$129 6.3% 2% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$107 5.2% 31.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Manchester versus $1,053 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. 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 42% 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 $56.0 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $265 – making Shrewsbury, Shropshire the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Shrewsbury, Shropshire

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

76,782

💱 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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Manchester Shrewsbury, Shropshire 90 km

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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 Shrewsbury, Shropshire: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,798 per month in Manchester and $3,090 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, 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 $1,452 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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 Shrewsbury, Shropshire, where all-in costs run around $2,060, than in Manchester at $2,532. In Shrewsbury, Shropshire it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shrewsbury, Shropshire – 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 Shrewsbury, Shropshire. 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.