Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lowestoft and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $2,625 in Lowestoft, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Lowestoft despite lower rent and utilities.

126

Cost of Living Index in Lowestoft
Learn more

Lowestoft Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index

Jump to prices

Lowestoft

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,625

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,625 in Lowestoft versus $2,499 in Manchester.

Lowestoft $2,625
Manchester $2,499

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,865 in Lowestoft versus $3,623 in Manchester.

Lowestoft $3,865
Manchester $3,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,105 in Lowestoft versus $4,747 in Manchester.

Lowestoft $5,105
Manchester $4,747

Living in Lowestoft is roughly 5% more expensive than in Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lowestoft 93% above, Manchester 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.13 £20.42

$20.22 £15.22

34.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £79.3

$86.0 £64.7

22.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.06

$10.74 £8.08

-0.28%

Cappuccino

$5.54 £4.17

$4.68 £3.52

18.38%

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

$2.92 £2.19

$2.44 £1.84

19.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 £1.61

$1.62 £1.22

32.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 £4.75

$7.78 £5.85

-18.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 £6.00

$6.70 £5.04

18.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.51 £1.13

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.88 £1.42

6.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$1.94 £1.46

27.32%

Eggs

$4.95 £3.73

$4.08 £3.07

21.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 £9.49

$9.61 £7.23

31.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 £7.93

$8.98 £6.76

17.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 £12.95

$15.41 £11.60

11.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 £2.36

$3.09 £2.33

1.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.58 £1.19

-12.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 £2.36

$2.95 £2.22

6.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 £2.58

$3.35 £2.52

2.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 £1.27

$1.51 £1.14

11.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 £1.30

$1.35 £1.01

27.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.26 £0.95

17.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.36

$1.23 £0.93

46.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.71 £17.85

$24.05 £18.10

-1.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 £9.95

$10.88 £8.19

21.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$2.43 £1.83

31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.38

$3.17 £2.38

41.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 £2.64

$2.73 £2.06

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 £71.7

$108 £81.2

-11.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 £4.18

$4.52 £3.40

22.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.22 £1.67

47.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.08 £19.63

$30.82 £23.20

-15.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.56

$2.14 £1.61

-3.27%

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

$38.2K £28.8K

$38.5K £28.9K

-0.64%

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

$40.5K £30.5K

$40.0K £30.1K

1.24%

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

$379 £285

$252 £190

50.03%

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

$18.61 £14.01

$16.23 £12.21

14.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.08 £30.91

$39.58 £29.79

3.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.05 £35.41

$42.67 £32.12

10.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.59

Cinema Ticket

$17.91 £13.48

$13.44 £10.12

33.26%

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

$2,861 £2,153

$1,494 £1,125

91.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.0K £27.1K

$19.7K £14.8K

82.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.5

$83.5 £62.9

39.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 £41.42

$42.97 £32.34

28.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 £94.7

$95.0 £71.5

32.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 £122

$106 £79.7

52.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 £922

$1,785 £1,344

-31.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 £776

$1,222 £920

-15.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,125 £1,599

$2,930 £2,205

-27.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 £1,229

$1,899 £1,429

-14.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,020 £3,778

$4,668 £3,513

7.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,878 £2,918

$4,397 £3,309

-11.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,555

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.82

-1.66%

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

Last update for Lowestoft: October 24, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lowestoft

$1K 39.3%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 18.6% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lowestoft

$438 16.7%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 29.7% $130

Eating Out

Lowestoft

$383 14.6%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 16.9% $65

Groceries & Markets

Lowestoft

$352 13.4%

Manchester

$299 12% 15.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Lowestoft

$207 7.9%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 28.6% $59

Getting Around

Lowestoft

$131 5%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 2.5% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lowestoft

$83 3.2%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 16.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,226 in Lowestoft and $1,785 in Manchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $105 in Lowestoft vs $86 in Manchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $299 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lowestoft

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

Same time as Lowestoft

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,358

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lowestoft Manchester 290 km

From you

Lowestoft
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

Lowestoft vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manchester is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,938 in Lowestoft and $3,749 in Manchester to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,226 in Lowestoft versus $1,785 in Manchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,861 in Lowestoft versus $1,494 in Manchester. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Lowestoft. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.