Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bournemouth and Manchester

For one person, living costs are similar in Bournemouth and in Manchester: $2,509 and $2,544 a month, rent and utilities included.

122

Cost of Living Index in Bournemouth
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Bournemouth Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Bournemouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,509

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,509 per month in Bournemouth vs $2,544 in Manchester, rent included.

Bournemouth $2,509
Manchester $2,544

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in Bournemouth vs $3,691 in Manchester, rent included.

Bournemouth $3,689
Manchester $3,691

A family of three spends $4,870 per month in Bournemouth vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Bournemouth $4,870
Manchester $4,839

Bournemouth is about 1% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bournemouth and Manchester sit above the global median – Bournemouth by 86%, Manchester by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 £15.25

$19.64 £14.74

3.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £75.6

$87.7 £65.8

14.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 £8.76

$10.47 £7.85

11.56%

Cappuccino

$4.76 £3.57

$4.85 £3.64

-1.86%

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

$3.21 £2.41

$2.49 £1.87

28.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.53

$1.68 £1.26

20.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 £5.09

$7.75 £5.81

-12.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 £5.39

$6.72 £5.04

6.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.43 £1.07

12.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.94 £1.45

-20.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.87 £1.40

-3.74%

Eggs

$4.32 £3.24

$3.97 £2.98

8.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 £4.68

$9.40 £7.05

-33.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 £6.96

$9.02 £6.77

2.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.68 £9.51

$15.39 £11.55

-17.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 £1.67

$3.09 £2.32

-28.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.58 £1.19

10.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$3.03 £2.28

-35.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 £1.58

$3.37 £2.52

-37.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.56 £1.17

30.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.36 £1.02

-7.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.20 £0.90

57.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.27 £0.95

33.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.60 £17.71

$23.80 £17.85

-0.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.36 £7.02

$11.11 £8.34

-15.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 £2.10

$2.50 £1.88

12.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 £1.87

$3.12 £2.34

-20.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.64 £2.73

$2.67 £2.00

36.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.8 £68.1

$104 £77.8

-12.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 £2.42

$4.51 £3.39

-28.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 £1.72

$2.18 £1.64

5.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.25 £24.20

$29.56 £22.18

9.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$2.11 £1.58

-5.69%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.5K £28.1K

1.92%

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

$40.0K £30.0K

$40.3K £30.2K

-0.87%

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

$353 £265

$250 £188

41.10%

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

$16.19 £12.14

$16.38 £12.29

-1.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.90 £32.18

$40.35 £30.27

6.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.33 £28.00

$55.5 £41.65

-32.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.71 £8.78

$18.33 £13.75

-36.12%

Cinema Ticket

$17.19 £12.90

$13.11 £9.84

31.12%

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

$2,218 £1,664

$1,240 £930

78.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.8K £25.4K

$19.5K £14.6K

73.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 £66.6

$84.5 £63.4

5.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.86 £32.90

$41.39 £31.05

5.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 £62.0

$91.6 £68.7

-9.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 £107

$103 £77.6

38.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 £944

$1,827 £1,371

-31.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 £860

$1,267 £950

-9.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 £2,003

$3,044 £2,284

-12.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 £1,424

$1,983 £1,488

-4.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,662 £4,998

$4,537 £3,403

46.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,474 £4,107

$4,324 £3,244

26.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 £2,191

$3,329 £2,498

-12.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

4.82

2.90%

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

Last update for Bournemouth: 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

Bournemouth

$1.1K 45.7%

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8% 10.5% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bournemouth

$412 16.4%

Manchester

$307 12.1% 25.5% $105

Eating Out

Bournemouth

$324 12.9%

Manchester

$316 12.4% 2.6% $8.5

Groceries & Markets

Bournemouth

$273 10.9%

Manchester

$299 11.8% 9.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Bournemouth

$161 6.4%

Manchester

$144 5.7% 10.4% $17

Getting Around

Bournemouth

$120 4.8%

Manchester

$130 5.1% 8.1% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bournemouth

$72 2.9%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 14% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,258 in Bournemouth 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 14% 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 $101 in Bournemouth versus $88.0 in Manchester. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Bournemouth vs $299 in Manchester – so Bournemouth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bournemouth

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

Same time as Bournemouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,491

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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Bournemouth Manchester 310 km

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Bournemouth
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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

Bournemouth vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester costs about 1% more than Bournemouth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,763 per month in Bournemouth 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 Bournemouth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Manchester, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bournemouth and $88.0 in Manchester. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bournemouth, where all-in costs run around $2,509, than in Manchester at $2,544. In Bournemouth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bournemouth costs $2,509 versus $2,544 in Manchester. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Bournemouth. 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.