Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey, United Kingdom and Manchester

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.

148

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Surrey

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,025

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surrey 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 Surrey and in Manchester actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Surrey $3,025
Manchester $2,499

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

Surrey $4,456
Manchester $3,623

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

Surrey $5,887
Manchester $4,747

Surrey costs about 21% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.47 £17.66

$20.22 £15.22

16.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 £44.75

$86.0 £64.7

-30.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.62 £7.24

$10.74 £8.08

-10.43%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.59

$4.68 £3.52

1.92%

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

$2.26 £1.70

$2.44 £1.84

-7.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.62 £1.22

-8.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.54 £4.92

$7.78 £5.85

-15.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 £4.63

$6.70 £5.04

-8.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 £0.99

$1.51 £1.13

-13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.88 £1.42

11.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 £1.21

$1.94 £1.46

-17.53%

Eggs

$4.15 £3.13

$4.08 £3.07

1.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 £6.49

$9.61 £7.23

-10.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.02

$8.98 £6.76

3.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.52 £12.43

$15.41 £11.60

7.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.09 £2.33

3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 £1.12

$1.58 £1.19

-6.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 £1.53

$2.95 £2.22

-31.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 £2.45

$3.35 £2.52

-2.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.51 £1.14

-8.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.35 £1.01

32.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.06

$1.26 £0.95

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.23 £0.93

-4.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.32 £17.55

$24.05 £18.10

-3.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.47 £7.88

$10.88 £8.19

-3.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.67

$2.43 £1.83

-8.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.88

$3.17 £2.38

-21.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 £2.93

$2.73 £2.06

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £81.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.22 £3.93

$4.52 £3.40

15.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.20

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.45

$2.14 £1.61

-9.81%

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

$38.1K £28.7K

$38.5K £28.9K

-0.85%

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

$41.0K £30.8K

$40.0K £30.1K

2.30%

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

$263 £198

$252 £190

4.06%

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

$13.29 £10.00

$16.23 £12.21

-18.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.87 £27.00

$39.58 £29.79

-9.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 £39.69

$42.67 £32.12

23.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 £13.88

$18.05 £13.59

2.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.07 £9.84

$13.44 £10.12

-2.75%

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

$2,137 £1,609

$1,494 £1,125

43.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K £22.5K

$19.7K £14.8K

51.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 £39.69

$83.5 £62.9

-36.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 £30.12

$42.97 £32.34

-6.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 £65.8

$95.0 £71.5

-8.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.0 £70.0

$106 £79.7

-12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 £1,463

$1,785 £1,344

8.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,864 £1,403

$1,222 £920

52.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,308 £2,489

$2,930 £2,205

12.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,400 £2,559

$1,899 £1,429

79.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,513

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,255 £5,460

$4,397 £3,309

65.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,565 £3,436

$3,395 £2,555

34.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

4.82

12.03%

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

Last update for Surrey: October 27, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surrey

$1.9K 61.6%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 34.4% $642

Eating Out

Surrey

$334 11%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 4.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surrey

$312 10.3%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 1.2% $3.6

Groceries & Markets

Surrey

$293 9.7%

Manchester

$299 12% 2% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Surrey

$123 4.1%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 19.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Surrey

$79 2.6%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 11.8% $9.3

Getting Around

Surrey

$21 * 0.7%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 546% $114

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,945 in Surrey versus $1,785 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 34% higher in Surrey. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

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

Good to know

🇬🇧 Surrey

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

Same time as Surrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

585

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surrey Manchester 280 km

From you

Surrey
Manchester

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

Surrey vs Manchester: 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 $4,538 per month in Surrey and $3,749 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

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

Kindergarten costs $2,137 per month in Surrey and $1,494 in Manchester. 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.