Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lowell, MA and Salisbury

For one person, living costs are similar in Lowell, MA and in Salisbury: $2,689 and $2,579 a month, rent and utilities included.

129

Cost of Living Index in Lowell, MA
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Lowell, MA Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Salisbury
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Salisbury Living Index

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Lowell, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Salisbury

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lowell, MA and in Salisbury

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lowell, MA and in Salisbury actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,689 per month in Lowell, MA vs $2,579 in Salisbury, rent included.

Lowell, MA $2,689
Salisbury $2,579

A couple spends around $4,243 per month in Lowell, MA vs $3,592 in Salisbury, rent included.

Lowell, MA $4,243
Salisbury $3,592

A family of three spends $5,797 per month in Lowell, MA vs $4,604 in Salisbury, rent included.

Lowell, MA $5,797
Salisbury $4,604

Lowell, MA costs about 4% more than Salisbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lowell, MA and Salisbury sit above the global median – Lowell, MA by 98%, Salisbury by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 $18.09

$26.82 £20.12

-32.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 $69.0

$91.0 £68.3

-24.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$12.45 £9.34

-25.78%

Cappuccino

$4.90 $4.90

$4.78 £3.59

2.51%

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

$2.02 $2.02

$3.32 £2.49

-39.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.30 £1.72

-28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$5.96 £4.47

-16.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.21 $8.21

$4.61 £3.46

78.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.67 £1.25

-51.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.05 £0.79

102.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$1.79 £1.34

194.97%

Eggs

$4.11 $4.11

$3.22 £2.42

27.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$9.17 £6.88

21.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.94 $8.94

$8.49 £6.37

5.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.47 $17.47

$14.39 £10.79

21.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.56 £1.17

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.22 £0.92

Oranges (1kg)

$6.82 $6.82

$4.10 £3.08

66.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$4.23 £3.18

30.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.12 £1.59

-21.23%

Onion (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.08 £0.81

310.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.05 £1.54

46.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.57 £1.18

40.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 $13.78

$23.75 £17.82

-41.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 $13.42

$12.02 £9.01

11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$3.86 £2.90

-54.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.87 £2.90

8.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$4.07 £3.05

-55.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 $55.2

$84.9 £63.7

-35.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 $4.04

$7.00 £5.25

-42.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.69 £1.27

3.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$21.28 £15.96

38.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.97 £1.48

-57.36%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$38.8K £29.1K

-28.60%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$40.6K £30.5K

-34.63%

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

$186 $186

$384 £288

-51.57%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$15.69 £11.77

228.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$35.71 £26.79

87.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.07 $40.07

$93.0 £69.8

-56.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.45 $12.45

$19.81 £14.87

-37.15%

Cinema Ticket

$14.05 $14.05

$10.03 £7.53

40.08%

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

$1,410 $1,410

$1,207 £905

16.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.5K $29.5K

$5,390 £4,043

448.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 $57.8

$66.5 £49.85

-13.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.86 $37.86

$44.42 £33.32

-14.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 $79.2

$82.6 £61.9

-4.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 $70.2

$88.0 £66.0

-20.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 $1,620

$1,209 £907

33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 $1,474

$1,117 £838

31.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,728 $3,728

$2,033 £1,525

83.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,116 $3,116

$1,495 £1,122

108.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,460 $3,460

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,536 $3,536

$4,815 £3,613

-26.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,963 $3,963

$3,706 £2,781

6.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

5.59

9.12%

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

Last update for Lowell, MA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Salisbury: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lowell, MA

$1.5K 54.8%

Salisbury

$1.1K 43.3% 24.2% $357

Groceries & Markets

Lowell, MA

$370 13.8%

Salisbury

$300 11.6% 18.9% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lowell, MA

$304 11.3%

Salisbury

$435 16.9% 43% $131

Eating Out

Lowell, MA

$287 10.7%

Salisbury

$371 14.4% 29.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Lowell, MA

$110 4.1%

Salisbury

$127 4.9% 14.9% $16

Getting Around

Lowell, MA

$75 2.8%

Salisbury

$117 4.5% 55.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lowell, MA

$68 2.5%

Salisbury

$113 4.4% 65.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,620 in Lowell, MA versus $1,209 in Salisbury. 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 7% higher in Lowell, MA, 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 $69.0 in Lowell, MA versus $91.0 in Salisbury. Groceries tell a different story – $370 in Lowell, MA vs $300 in Salisbury – so Salisbury wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lowell, MA

🇬🇧 Salisbury

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

5 h ahead of Lowell, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,519

45,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lowell, MA Salisbury 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lowell, MA
Salisbury

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

Lowell, MA vs Salisbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lowell, MA is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,033 per month in Lowell, MA and $3,868 in Salisbury. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salisbury, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Salisbury. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,410 per month in Lowell, MA and $1,207 in Salisbury. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Salisbury, where all-in costs run around $2,579, than in Lowell, MA at $2,689. In Salisbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lowell, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Salisbury – 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 Salisbury. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lowell, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.