Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Ipswich: $2,323 a month against $2,510 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Ipswich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,323

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,323 in Ipswich versus $2,510 in Manchester.

Ipswich $2,323
Manchester $2,510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,404 in Ipswich versus $3,643 in Manchester.

Ipswich $3,404
Manchester $3,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,485 in Ipswich versus $4,776 in Manchester.

Ipswich $4,485
Manchester $4,776

Living in Ipswich costs roughly 7% less than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ipswich 72% above, Manchester 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 £16.00

$20.16 £14.96

6.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.9

$87.5 £64.9

24.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 £7.94

$10.78 £8.00

-0.74%

Cappuccino

$5.76 £4.27

$4.78 £3.55

20.50%

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

$1.75 £1.30

$2.62 £1.95

-33.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.38

$1.74 £1.29

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 £4.96

$7.92 £5.88

-15.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 £5.09

$6.52 £4.84

5.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.26

$1.35 £1.00

25.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.88 £1.39

-9.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 £1.28

$1.92 £1.42

-9.90%

Eggs

$4.32 £3.21

$4.04 £3.00

6.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.95 £9.61

$9.58 £7.11

35.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.76 £6.50

$9.26 £6.87

-5.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.61 £11.58

$15.66 £11.62

-0.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 £2.37

$3.07 £2.28

3.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 £1.09

$1.53 £1.14

-3.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 £2.12

$2.91 £2.16

-1.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.38

$3.53 £2.62

-9.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.54 £1.15

7.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 £1.11

$1.38 £1.02

8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.06

$1.21 £0.90

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.06

$1.38 £1.03

3.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.83 £17.68

$24.21 £17.96

-1.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 £8.09

$11.05 £8.20

-1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 £2.05

$2.49 £1.84

11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 £2.75

$2.90 £2.15

27.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 £2.35

$2.61 £1.93

21.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.9 £67.5

$109 £80.9

-16.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 £3.78

$4.47 £3.32

13.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 £1.46

$2.21 £1.64

-10.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 £24.13

$30.93 £22.95

5.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.43

$2.18 £1.61

-11.47%

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

$38.2K £28.3K

$39.2K £29.1K

-2.73%

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

$40.8K £30.3K

$39.9K £29.6K

2.32%

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

$370 £274

$248 £184

48.85%

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

$16.04 £11.90

$16.31 £12.10

-1.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.55 £30.09

$39.73 £29.48

2.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.20 £26.11

$42.93 £31.86

-18.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.00 £5.93

$17.99 £13.35

-55.53%

Cinema Ticket

$18.42 £13.67

$13.46 £9.99

36.85%

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

$2,186 £1,622

$1,448 £1,075

50.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.1K £23.1K

$21.0K £15.6K

47.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 £51.8

$83.3 £61.8

-16.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 £42.35

$43.32 £32.14

31.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 £60.8

$95.4 £70.8

-14.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 £52.5

$99.9 £74.1

-29.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 £843

$1,818 £1,349

-37.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 £691

$1,234 £915

-24.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 £1,205

$2,925 £2,170

-44.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 £1,051

$1,921 £1,425

-26.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,629 £3,435

$4,751 £3,525

-2.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 £2,338

$4,313 £3,200

-26.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,452 £2,562

$3,798 £2,818

-9.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

4.79

-0.21%

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

Last update for Ipswich: November 3, 2026

Last update for Manchester: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipswich

$931 40.1%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.2% 32.5% $303

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

$426 18.4%

Manchester

$304 12.1% 28.6% $122

Eating Out

Ipswich

$335 14.4%

Manchester

$321 12.8% 4.2% $14

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

$314 13.5%

Manchester

$301 12% 4.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

$126 5.4%

Manchester

$145 5.8% 15.1% $19

Getting Around

Ipswich

$119 5.1%

Manchester

$135 5.4% 13.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

$72 3.1%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 3% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,136 in Ipswich and $1,818 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $109 in Ipswich vs $87 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $301 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ipswich

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

Same time as Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

503,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ipswich Manchester 280 km

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Ipswich
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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

Ipswich vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,323 in Ipswich and $2,510 in Manchester, so Ipswich is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Ipswich. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,136 in Ipswich versus $1,818 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ipswich runs roughly 17% less than in Manchester. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,186 in Ipswich versus $1,448 in Manchester. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Ipswich gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Ipswich wins on affordability, Manchester on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.