Cost of Living Comparison Between Watford and Manchester Cost of Living Comparison Between Watford and Manchester

😐 Solo nomad: Watford is 12.2% more expensive than Manchester without rent, and 17.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Watford is 2.9% cheaper than Manchester without rent, and 36.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Watford
Manchester
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.85 £19.76
$20.43 £15.04
31.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$94.1 £69.3
$95.8 £70.5
-1.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.04 £8.13
$10.68 £7.86
3.37%
Cappuccino
$5.13 £3.77
$5.05 £3.72
1.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 £2.1
$2.57 £1.89
11.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 £1.33
$1.73 £1.28
4.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.27 £6.09
$7.26 £5.34
13.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.22 £6.05
$7.48 £5.51
9.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Watford
Manchester
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 £1.3
$1.63 £1.2
8.59%
White Bread (500g)
$2.24 £1.65
$1.72 £1.26
30.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 £1.83
$2.17 £1.6
14.75%
Eggs
$4.86 £3.57
$3.89 £2.86
24.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.07 £8.15
$12.14 £8.93
-8.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.05 £6.66
$9.7 £7.14
-6.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.63 £12.97
$16.94 £12.46
4.07%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 £2.53
$3.3 £2.43
4.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 £1.45
$1.87 £1.37
5.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.23 £2.37
$3.95 £2.91
-18.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.62 £2.66
$4.35 £3.2
-16.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 £1.31
$2.14 £1.58
-16.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 £1.38
$1.81 £1.33
3.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 £1.03
$1.31 £0.97
6.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 £1.14
$1.5 £1.1
3.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.51 £16.56
$18.67 £13.74
20.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.12 £8.18
$10.44 £7.68
6.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.14 £2.31
$2.58 £1.9
21.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.03 £2.97
$3.46 £2.54
16.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Watford
Manchester
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.75 £2.02
$2.74 £2.02
0.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.97 £35.3
$123 £90.2
-60.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.91 £5.09
$5.3 £3.9
30.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 £1.09
$2.92 £2.15
-49.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.7 £29.95
$33.89 £24.94
20.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.94 £1.43
$1.88 £1.38
3.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.2K £28.8K
$38.3K £28.2K
2.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.1K
$40.9K £30.1K
-0.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Watford
Manchester
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$318 £234
$293 £215
8.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.75 £11.59
$22.46 £16.53
-29.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.26 £28.89
$43.09 £31.71
-8.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Watford
Manchester
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.16 £27.35
$41.03 £30.19
-9.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$41.19 £30.31
$15.53 £11.43
165.23%
Cinema Ticket
$20.51 £15.09
$13.75 £10.12
49.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Watford
Manchester
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,308 £1,699
$1,981 £1,458
16.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.5K £21K
$20.6K £15.2K
38.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Watford
Manchester
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.8 £63.2
$91.8 £67.5
-6.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.78 £35.89
$41.44 £30.49
17.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.8 £67.5
$87.9 £64.7
4.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 £91.6
$106 £78
17.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Watford
Manchester
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,773 £1,304
$1,595 £1,174
11.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 £1,249
$1,267 £932
33.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,627 £2,669
$2,742 £2,018
32.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,923 £2,887
$2,072 £1,525
89.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,206 £6,775
$5,685 £4,184
61.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,682 £3,445
$3,908 £2,876
19.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Watford
Manchester
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,164 £3,064
$3,332 £2,452
24.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
5.92
-6.42%

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

Last update for Watford: October 27, 2025

Last update for Manchester: October 29, 2025

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