Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Wallingford

For one person, living costs are similar in Manchester and in Wallingford: $2,532 and $2,418 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Wallingford
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Wallingford Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Wallingford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Wallingford

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

A single person spends $2,544 per month in Manchester vs $2,418 in Wallingford, rent included.

Manchester $2,544
Wallingford $2,418

A couple spends around $3,691 per month in Manchester vs $3,611 in Wallingford, rent included.

Manchester $3,691
Wallingford $3,611

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $4,805 in Wallingford, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Wallingford $4,805

Manchester costs about 5% more than Wallingford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Wallingford sit above the global median – Manchester by 88%, Wallingford by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$26.33 £19.76

-23.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$94.2 £70.7

-7.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.16 £7.62

6.59%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$5.03 £3.77

-4.37%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.85 £2.14

-14.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.16 £1.62

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$8.84 £6.63

-11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$7.44 £5.58

-12.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.61 £1.21

-9.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$2.10 £1.57

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.43 £1.83

-23.46%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$3.66 £2.75

10.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$11.19 £8.40

-12.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$9.57 £7.18

-4.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$15.24 £11.43

1.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.18 £2.38

0.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.44 £1.08

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.74 £2.05

10.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$3.27 £2.45

2.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.53 £1.15

1.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.72 £1.29

-24.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.45 £1.09

-15.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.82 £1.36

-29.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.55 £17.66

0.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$13.37 £10.03

-18.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$2.96 £2.22

-13.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$3.54 £2.66

-11.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$3.65 £2.74

-26.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$96.1 £72.1

9.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$6.56 £4.92

-32.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.33 £2.50

-33.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$25.77 £19.34

18.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.08 £1.56

-1.92%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$39.1K £29.3K

0.23%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$40.5K £30.4K

-0.62%

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

$252 £189

$281 £211

-10.37%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$18.41 £13.81

-9.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$41.37 £31.04

-1.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$45.35 £34.02

21.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

$15.50 £11.63

16.26%

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$13.37 £10.03

-0.82%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,795 £1,347

-30.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$29.3K £22.0K

-32.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$75.5 £56.7

11.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$55.0 £41.28

-22.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$116 £87.0

-20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$109 £82.1

-2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,130 £848

58.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$1,006 £754

23.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$2,110 £1,583

42.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$1,671 £1,253

17.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$5,145 £3,860

-11.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$3,705 £2,779

17.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$2,604 £1,953

32.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

4.74

1.69%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Wallingford: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Wallingford

$1K 41.6% 19% $237

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Wallingford

$381 15.7% 18.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Wallingford

$341 14.1% 10.2% $32

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Wallingford

$325 13.4% 7.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Wallingford

$160 6.6% 9.4% $14

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Wallingford

$134 5.5% 1.8% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Wallingford

$72 3% 11.7% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,827 in Manchester versus $1,130 in Wallingford. 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 28% 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 $88.0 in Manchester versus $94.0 in Wallingford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $325 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Wallingford

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

11,600

💱 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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Between locations

Manchester Wallingford 220 km

From you

Manchester
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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 Wallingford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,816 per month in Manchester and $3,626 in Wallingford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wallingford, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,240 per month in Manchester and $1,795 in Wallingford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Manchester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Wallingford, where all-in costs run around $2,418, than in Manchester at $2,544. In Wallingford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wallingford – 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 Wallingford. 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.