Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Romford and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,532 a month against $2,706 in Romford, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Romford
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Romford Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Romford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,706

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Romford and in Manchester

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Romford and in Manchester actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,706 per month in Romford vs $2,532 in Manchester, rent included.

Romford $2,706
Manchester $2,532

A couple spends around $4,122 per month in Romford vs $3,686 in Manchester, rent included.

Romford $4,122
Manchester $3,686

A family of three spends $5,538 per month in Romford vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Romford $5,538
Manchester $4,839

Romford costs about 7% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Romford and Manchester sit above the global median – Romford by 100%, Manchester by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.90 £17.93

$20.23 £15.18

18.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$87.1 £65.3

24.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 £8.07

$10.83 £8.12

-0.74%

Cappuccino

$4.88 £3.66

$4.81 £3.61

1.46%

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

$2.68 £2.01

$2.44 £1.83

9.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.62 £1.21

14.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 £5.72

$7.82 £5.87

-2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 £5.09

$6.48 £4.86

4.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.45 £1.09

26.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.95 £1.47

-10.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 £1.96

$1.86 £1.40

40.86%

Eggs

$4.88 £3.66

$4.05 £3.04

20.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 £7.13

$9.76 £7.32

-2.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 £7.17

$9.11 £6.83

4.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 £12.02

$15.52 £11.64

3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

$3.20 £2.40

-5.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 £1.03

$1.52 £1.14

-9.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 £2.43

$3.02 £2.26

7.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 £2.66

$3.34 £2.51

6.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.55 £1.17

7.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 £1.37

$1.30 £0.98

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.22 £0.92

2.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.28 £0.96

40.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.41 £17.56

$23.68 £17.77

-1.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 £9.92

$10.88 £8.16

21.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 £2.41

$2.55 £1.91

25.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 £3.11

$3.15 £2.36

31.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.58 £3.43

$2.68 £2.01

70.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.1 £72.8

$105 £79.1

-7.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 £4.13

$4.42 £3.31

24.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 £1.94

$2.20 £1.65

17.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.48 £19.11

$30.45 £22.85

-16.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.04 £1.53

1.96%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$39.2K £29.4K

-0.59%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$40.3K £30.2K

0.27%

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

$381 £286

$252 £189

51.43%

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

$18.84 £14.13

$16.62 £12.47

13.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.29 £32.48

$40.61 £30.47

6.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 £37.94

$55.1 £41.32

-8.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.03 £12.78

$13.26 £9.95

28.43%

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

$2,581 £1,936

$1,252 £939

106.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K £26.4K

$19.9K £14.9K

76.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 £67.6

$84.2 £63.2

6.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.87 £35.16

$42.72 £32.05

9.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 £68.8

$92.2 £69.2

-0.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 £97.3

$106 £79.8

21.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,852 £1,389

$1,789 £1,342

3.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 £901

$1,242 £932

-3.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,269 £2,452

$3,014 £2,261

8.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,259 £1,695

$1,961 £1,471

15.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,605 £4,205

$4,552 £3,415

23.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,693 £2,770

$4,349 £3,262

-15.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,863 £2,148

$3,460 £2,596

-17.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

3.73%

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

Last update for Romford: October 19, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Romford

$1.2K 44.4%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 3.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Romford

$443 16.4%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 30.3% $134

Eating Out

Romford

$352 13%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 9% $32

Groceries & Markets

Romford

$330 12.2%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 8.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Romford

$161 6%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 9.2% $15

Getting Around

Romford

$134 5%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 1.7% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Romford

$85 3.1%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 3.6% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,852 in Romford versus $1,789 in Manchester. 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 21% higher in Manchester, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Romford versus $87.0 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $301 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Romford

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

Same time as Romford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,894

503,100

💱 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

Romford Manchester 270 km

From you

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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

Romford vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Romford is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,059 per month in Romford and $3,798 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,581 per month in Romford and $1,252 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Romford, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,706 in Romford and $2,532 in Manchester. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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, Romford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.