Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Bournemouth

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

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Bournemouth
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Bournemouth Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Bournemouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Bournemouth

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

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

Manchester $2,544
Bournemouth $2,509

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

Manchester $3,691
Bournemouth $3,689

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

Manchester $4,839
Bournemouth $4,870

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 £14.74

$20.33 £15.25

-3.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$101 £75.6

-13.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.85

$11.68 £8.76

-10.36%

Cappuccino

$4.85 £3.64

$4.76 £3.57

1.89%

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

$2.49 £1.87

$3.21 £2.41

-22.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.03 £1.53

-17.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 £5.81

$6.78 £5.09

14.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 £5.04

$7.19 £5.39

-6.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.61 £1.21

-11.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.54 £1.16

25.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.80 £1.35

3.89%

Eggs

$3.97 £2.98

$4.32 £3.24

-8.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 £7.05

$6.23 £4.68

50.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 £6.77

$9.28 £6.96

-2.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 £11.55

$12.68 £9.51

21.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.32

$2.22 £1.67

39.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.75 £1.32

-9.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

$1.94 £1.46

56.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 £2.52

$2.11 £1.58

59.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$2.03 £1.52

-23.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.26 £0.95

7.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.89 £1.42

-36.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.69 £1.27

-24.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.80 £17.85

$23.60 £17.71

0.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 £8.34

$9.36 £7.02

18.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.88

$2.80 £2.10

-10.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.49 £1.87

25.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 £2.00

$3.64 £2.73

-26.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £77.8

$90.8 £68.1

14.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 £3.39

$3.23 £2.42

39.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 £1.64

$2.29 £1.72

-4.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.56 £22.18

$32.25 £24.20

-8.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.99 £1.49

6.03%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$38.2K £28.6K

-1.88%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$40.0K £30.0K

0.87%

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

$250 £188

$353 £265

-29.13%

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

$16.38 £12.29

$16.19 £12.14

1.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.35 £30.27

$42.90 £32.18

-5.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 £41.65

$37.33 £28.00

48.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 £13.75

$11.71 £8.78

56.53%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 £9.84

$17.19 £12.90

-23.73%

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

$1,240 £930

$2,218 £1,664

-44.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K £14.6K

$33.8K £25.4K

-42.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.5 £63.4

$88.8 £66.6

-4.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 £31.05

$43.86 £32.90

-5.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 £68.7

$82.6 £62.0

10.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.6

$143 £107

-27.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 £1,371

$1,258 £944

45.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 £950

$1,146 £860

10.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 £2,284

$2,670 £2,003

14.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 £1,488

$1,898 £1,424

4.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,537 £3,403

$6,662 £4,998

-31.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,324 £3,244

$5,474 £4,107

-21.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 £2,498

$2,920 £2,191

14.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

4.96

-2.82%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bournemouth: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8%

Bournemouth

$1.1K 45.7% 9.5% $120

Eating Out

Manchester

$316 12.4%

Bournemouth

$324 12.9% 2.7% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$307 12.1%

Bournemouth

$412 16.4% 34.3% $105

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 11.8%

Bournemouth

$273 10.9% 8.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$144 5.7%

Bournemouth

$161 6.4% 11.6% $17

Getting Around

Manchester

$130 5.1%

Bournemouth

$120 4.8% 7.5% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Bournemouth

$72 2.9% 12.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,827 in Manchester versus $1,258 in Bournemouth. 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 $88.0 in Manchester versus $101 in Bournemouth. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Manchester vs $273 in Bournemouth – so Bournemouth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Bournemouth

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

183,491

💱 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

Manchester Bournemouth 310 km

From you

Manchester
Bournemouth

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

Manchester vs Bournemouth: 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 $3,816 per month in Manchester and $3,763 in Bournemouth. 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 $88.0 in Manchester and $101 in Bournemouth. 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.