Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Lincoln: $2,203 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,203

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lincoln versus $2,532 in Manchester.

Lincoln $2,203
Manchester $2,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,290 in Lincoln versus $3,686 in Manchester.

Lincoln $3,290
Manchester $3,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,376 in Lincoln versus $4,839 in Manchester.

Lincoln $4,376
Manchester $4,839

Living in Lincoln costs roughly 13% less than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lincoln 63% above, Manchester 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.70 £20.03

$20.23 £15.18

31.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.8 £64.4

$87.1 £65.3

-1.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 £6.11

$10.83 £8.12

-24.84%

Cappuccino

$4.98 £3.74

$4.81 £3.61

3.53%

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

$2.64 £1.98

$2.44 £1.83

8.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.48

$1.62 £1.21

21.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.70 £5.03

$7.82 £5.87

-14.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.58 £4.94

$6.48 £4.86

1.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.45 £1.09

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.95 £1.47

-23.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.86 £1.40

-27.96%

Eggs

$3.36 £2.52

$4.05 £3.04

-17.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 £6.23

$9.76 £7.32

-14.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 £6.44

$9.11 £6.83

-5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 £8.54

$15.52 £11.64

-26.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 £2.61

$3.20 £2.40

8.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.52 £1.14

-21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.02 £2.26

2.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 £2.74

$3.34 £2.51

9.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.55 £1.17

-5.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.30 £0.98

-10.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 £0.78

$1.22 £0.92

-14.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.02

$1.28 £0.96

5.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.57 £17.68

$23.68 £17.77

-0.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.88

$10.88 £8.16

-3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.39

$2.55 £1.91

24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 £2.69

$3.15 £2.36

13.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.15 £3.12

$2.68 £2.01

54.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.3

$105 £79.1

1.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 £2.91

$4.42 £3.31

-12.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 £0.54

$2.20 £1.65

-67.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.84 £14.89

$30.45 £22.85

-34.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.04 £1.53

0.98%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$39.2K £29.4K

-1.50%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$40.3K £30.2K

0.20%

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

$304 £228

$252 £189

20.75%

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

$17.07 £12.81

$16.62 £12.47

2.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.02 £30.02

$40.61 £30.47

-1.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.70 £20.03

$55.1 £41.32

-51.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.35 £16.01

$18.02 £13.52

18.48%

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 £11.66

$13.26 £9.95

17.27%

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

$1,831 £1,373

$1,252 £939

46.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K £15.5K

$19.9K £14.9K

3.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 £85.9

$84.2 £63.2

36.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 £43.98

$42.72 £32.05

37.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 £63.7

$92.2 £69.2

-7.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 £74.5

$106 £79.8

-6.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 £809

$1,789 £1,342

-39.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$854 £640

$1,242 £932

-31.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 £1,453

$3,014 £2,261

-35.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 £1,070

$1,961 £1,471

-27.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 £1,878

$4,552 £3,415

-45.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 £916

$4,349 £3,262

-71.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,307 £2,481

$3,460 £2,596

-4.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.88

4.82

1.24%

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

Last update for Lincoln: October 17, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lincoln

$854 38.7%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1% 45.5% $389

Eating Out

Lincoln

$363 16.5%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 11.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lincoln

$361 16.4%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 14.4% $52

Groceries & Markets

Lincoln

$276 12.5%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Lincoln

$161 7.3%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 8.9% $14

Getting Around

Lincoln

$131 6%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lincoln

$58 2.6%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 41.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Lincoln and $1,789 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $86.0 in Lincoln vs $87.0 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $301 per month, with Lincoln cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

Same time as Lincoln

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,541

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

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Lincoln Manchester 120 km

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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

Lincoln vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lincoln and Manchester differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,203 vs $2,532 including rent). Lincoln is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Manchester. 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: $1,078 in Lincoln versus $1,789 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lincoln – a meal for two runs $86.0 versus $87.0 in Manchester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,203 per month in Lincoln versus $2,532 in Manchester – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,203 in Lincoln versus $2,532 in Manchester, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lincoln but tight or insufficient in Manchester. The gap between the two cities makes Lincoln the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Lincoln and Manchester are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lincoln gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.