Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Wels

For one person, living is cheaper in Wels: $1,885 a month against $2,544 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
Learn more

Wels Living Index

Jump to prices

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Wels

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

A single person spends $2,544 per month in Manchester vs $1,885 in Wels, rent included.

Manchester $2,544
Wels $1,885

A couple spends around $3,691 per month in Manchester vs $2,801 in Wels, rent included.

Manchester $3,691
Wels $2,801

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Manchester vs $3,717 in Wels, rent included.

Manchester $4,839
Wels $3,717

Manchester costs about 35% more than Wels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Manchester and Wels sit above the global median – Manchester by 88%, Wels by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 £14.74

$16.47 €14.65

19.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$83.3 €74.1

5.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.85

$11.32 €10.07

-7.51%

Cappuccino

$4.85 £3.64

$4.27 €3.79

13.58%

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

$2.49 £1.87

$3.38 €3.01

-26.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.98 €2.65

-43.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 £5.81

$5.44 €4.84

42.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 £5.04

$5.42 €4.82

23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.51 €1.35

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.41 €2.14

-19.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.73 €1.54

8.09%

Eggs

$3.97 £2.98

$3.84 €3.42

3.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 £7.05

$21.73 €19.33

-56.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 £6.77

$12.85 €11.43

-29.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 £11.55

$21.77 €19.36

-29.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.32

$2.98 €2.65

3.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.77 €1.57

-10.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

$2.72 €2.42

11.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 £2.52

$2.81 €2.50

19.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$2.52 €2.24

-38.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.63 €1.45

-16.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$2.26 €2.01

-46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.95

$0.75 €0.67

69.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.80 £17.85

$7.51 €6.68

216.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 £8.34

$8.94 €7.95

24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.88

$0.80 €0.71

212.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.19 €1.95

42.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 £2.00

$2.70 €2.40

-1.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £77.8

$38.48 €34.23

169.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 £3.39

$5.63 €5.01

-19.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 £1.64

$2.34 €2.08

-6.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.56 £22.18

$30.71 €27.32

-3.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.79 €1.59

17.88%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$30.7K €27.3K

21.92%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$30.2K €26.9K

33.43%

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

$250 £188

$333 €296

-24.90%

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

$16.38 £12.29

$13.71 €12.19

19.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.35 £30.27

$37.38 €33.25

7.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 £41.65

$45.43 €40.41

22.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 £13.75

$33.27 €29.59

-44.91%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 £9.84

$13.64 €12.13

-3.89%

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

$1,240 £930

$1,336 €1,189

-7.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K £14.6K

$15.8K €14.0K

23.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.5 £63.4

$82.5 €73.4

2.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 £31.05

$59.2 €52.7

-30.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 £68.7

$111 €98.9

-17.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.6

$123 €110

-16.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 £1,371

$676 €601

170.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 £950

$550 €489

130.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 £2,284

$935 €832

225.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 £1,488

$791 €704

150.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,537 £3,403

$4,158 €3,698

9.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,324 £3,244

$3,425 €3,047

26.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 £2,498

$3,072 €2,733

8.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

3.5

37.71%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wels: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8%

Wels

$550 29.2% 56.6% $717

Eating Out

Manchester

$316 12.4%

Wels

$280 14.9% 11.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$307 12.1%

Wels

$384 20.4% 25.2% $77

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 11.8%

Wels

$362 19.2% 21.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$144 5.7%

Wels

$169 9% 17.2% $25

Getting Around

Manchester

$130 5.1%

Wels

$67 3.5% 48.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Wels

$73 3.9% 11% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,827 in Manchester versus $676 in Wels. 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 8% 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 $83.0 in Wels. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Manchester vs $362 in Wels – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇦🇹 Wels

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

1 h ahead of Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

59,853

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manchester Wels 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Manchester
Wels

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 Wels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,816 per month in Manchester and $2,827 in Wels. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wels, 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 $1,336 in Wels. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Manchester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Wels, where all-in costs run around $1,885, than in Manchester at $2,544. In Wels it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wels – 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 Wels. 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.