Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Surrey, United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $3,025 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Surrey

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Surrey

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

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Manchester vs $3,025 in Surrey, rent included.

Manchester $2,499
Surrey $3,025

A couple spends around $3,623 per month in Manchester vs $4,456 in Surrey, rent included.

Manchester $3,623
Surrey $4,456

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Manchester vs $5,887 in Surrey, rent included.

Manchester $4,747
Surrey $5,887

Manchester is about 17% cheaper than Surrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Surrey sit above the global median – Manchester by 84%, Surrey by 122%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.22

$23.47 £17.66

-13.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.7

$59.5 £44.75

44.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.08

$9.62 £7.24

11.64%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.52

$4.77 £3.59

-1.89%

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

$2.44 £1.84

$2.26 £1.70

7.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.48 £1.11

9.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.85

$6.54 £4.92

18.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.04

$6.15 £4.63

8.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.31 £0.99

15.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.42

$2.10 £1.58

-10.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$1.60 £1.21

21.25%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.07

$4.15 £3.13

-1.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.23

$8.62 £6.49

11.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.76

$9.33 £7.02

-3.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.60

$16.52 £12.43

-6.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.33

$3.19 £2.40

-3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.48 £1.12

6.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$2.03 £1.53

45.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.52

$3.26 £2.45

2.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.38 £1.04

9.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.79 £1.35

-24.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.40 £1.06

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.93

$1.17 £0.88

5.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £18.10

$23.32 £17.55

3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.19

$10.47 £7.88

3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.83

$2.22 £1.67

9.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$2.50 £1.88

26.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.06

$3.90 £2.93

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £81.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.40

$5.22 £3.93

-13.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.20

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.61

$1.93 £1.45

10.88%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$38.1K £28.7K

0.86%

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

$40.0K £30.1K

$41.0K £30.8K

-2.25%

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

$252 £190

$263 £198

-3.91%

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

$16.23 £12.21

$13.29 £10.00

22.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.79

$35.87 £27.00

10.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £32.12

$52.7 £39.69

-19.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.59

$18.44 £13.88

-2.11%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.12

$13.07 £9.84

2.83%

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

$1,494 £1,125

$2,137 £1,609

-30.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.8K

$29.9K £22.5K

-34.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.9

$52.7 £39.69

58.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.34

$40.02 £30.12

7.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.5

$87.4 £65.8

8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$93.0 £70.0

13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,344

$1,945 £1,463

-8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £920

$1,864 £1,403

-34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,205

$3,308 £2,489

-11.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,429

$3,400 £2,559

-44.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,513

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,309

$7,255 £5,460

-39.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,555

$4,565 £3,436

-25.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.4

-10.74%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Surrey: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Surrey

$1.9K 61.6% 52.5% $642

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Surrey

$334 11% 4.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Surrey

$312 10.3% 1.2% $3.6

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Surrey

$293 9.7% 1.9% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Surrey

$123 4.1% 16.6% $24

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Surrey

$21 * 0.7% 84.5% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Surrey

$79 2.6% 13.4% $9.3

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 $1,945 in Surrey. 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 34% higher in Surrey. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester versus $59 in Surrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $293 – making Surrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Surrey

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

585

💱 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 Surrey 280 km

From you

Manchester
Surrey

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 Surrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Surrey is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Manchester and $4,538 in Surrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,785 in Manchester and $1,945 in Surrey. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Manchester and $59 in Surrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,494 per month in Manchester and $2,137 in Surrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.