Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wels and Manchester

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.

92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
Learn more

Wels Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index

Jump to prices

Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,885

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Wels $1,885
Manchester $2,544

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

Wels $2,801
Manchester $3,691

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

Wels $3,717
Manchester $4,839

Wels is about 26% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.47 €14.65

$19.64 £14.74

-16.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.1

$87.7 £65.8

-5.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$10.47 £7.85

8.12%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.79

$4.85 £3.64

-11.96%

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

$3.38 €3.01

$2.49 £1.87

35.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.68 £1.26

77.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 €4.84

$7.75 £5.81

-29.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$6.72 £5.04

-19.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.43 £1.07

5.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.94 £1.45

24.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.87 £1.40

-7.49%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.42

$3.97 £2.98

-3.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.73 €19.33

$9.40 £7.05

131.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.85 €11.43

$9.02 £6.77

42.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.77 €19.36

$15.39 £11.55

41.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.09 £2.32

-3.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.58 £1.19

12.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$3.03 £2.28

-10.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.37 £2.52

-16.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.56 £1.17

61.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.36 £1.02

19.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.20 £0.90

88.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.27 £0.95

-40.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.51 €6.68

$23.80 £17.85

-68.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.94 €7.95

$11.11 £8.34

-19.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$2.50 £1.88

-68.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.12 £2.34

-29.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.67 £2.00

1.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.48 €34.23

$104 £77.8

-62.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.01

$4.51 £3.39

24.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.18 £1.64

7.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.71 €27.32

$29.56 £22.18

3.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.11 £1.58

-15.17%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$37.5K £28.1K

-17.98%

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

$30.2K €26.9K

$40.3K £30.2K

-25.05%

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

$333 €296

$250 £188

33.16%

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

$13.71 €12.19

$16.38 £12.29

-16.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.38 €33.25

$40.35 £30.27

-7.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.43 €40.41

$55.5 £41.65

-18.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.27 €29.59

$18.33 £13.75

81.51%

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 €12.13

$13.11 £9.84

4.04%

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

$1,336 €1,189

$1,240 £930

7.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$19.5K £14.6K

-18.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 €73.4

$84.5 £63.4

-2.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 €52.7

$41.39 £31.05

43.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.9

$91.6 £68.7

21.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$103 £77.6

19.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 €601

$1,827 £1,371

-63.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 €489

$1,267 £950

-56.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 €832

$3,044 £2,284

-69.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €704

$1,983 £1,488

-60.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,698

$4,537 £3,403

-8.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,425 €3,047

$4,324 £3,244

-20.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,072 €2,733

$3,329 £2,498

-7.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

4.82

-27.39%

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

Last update for Wels: October 11, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wels

$550 29.2%

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8% 130% $717

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wels

$384 20.4%

Manchester

$307 12.1% 20.1% $77

Groceries & Markets

Wels

$362 19.2%

Manchester

$299 11.8% 17.4% $63

Eating Out

Wels

$280 14.9%

Manchester

$316 12.4% 12.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Wels

$169 9%

Manchester

$144 5.7% 14.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Wels

$73 3.9%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 12.4% $9

Getting Around

Wels

$67 3.5%

Manchester

$130 5.1% 94.8% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $676 in Wels versus $1,827 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 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 $83.0 in Wels versus $88.0 in Manchester. Groceries tell a different story – $362 in Wels vs $299 in Manchester – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Wels

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

17:17 5:17 PM

1 h behind Wels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,853

503,100

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wels Manchester 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Wels
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

Wels vs Manchester: 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 $2,827 per month in Wels and $3,816 in Manchester. 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 $1,336 per month in Wels and $1,240 in Manchester. 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.