Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Ipswich

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.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,510

/mo nomad

Ipswich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Ipswich

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 Ipswich actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Manchester $2,510
Ipswich $2,323

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

Manchester $3,643
Ipswich $3,404

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

Manchester $4,776
Ipswich $4,485

Living in Manchester is roughly 8% more expensive than in Ipswich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.16 £14.96

$21.56 £16.00

-6.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 £64.9

$109 £80.9

-19.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.00

$10.70 £7.94

0.75%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.55

$5.76 £4.27

-17.01%

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

$2.62 £1.95

$1.75 £1.30

49.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.86 £1.38

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 £5.88

$6.68 £4.96

18.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 £4.84

$6.86 £5.09

-4.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 £1.00

$1.69 £1.26

-20.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.39

$1.70 £1.26

10.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 £1.42

$1.73 £1.28

10.98%

Eggs

$4.04 £3.00

$4.32 £3.21

-6.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 £7.11

$12.95 £9.61

-26.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.87

$8.76 £6.50

5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 £11.62

$15.61 £11.58

0.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.28

$3.19 £2.37

-3.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.47 £1.09

4.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.16

$2.86 £2.12

1.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.62

$3.20 £2.38

10.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.66 £1.23

-7.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 £1.02

$1.50 £1.11

-8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.43 £1.06

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.43 £1.06

-3.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.21 £17.96

$23.83 £17.68

1.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.05 £8.20

$10.91 £8.09

1.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 £1.84

$2.77 £2.05

-10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 £2.15

$3.71 £2.75

-21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.93

$3.16 £2.35

-17.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 £80.9

$90.9 £67.5

19.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 £3.32

$5.09 £3.78

-12.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.97 £1.46

12.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.93 £22.95

$32.52 £24.13

-4.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 £1.61

$1.93 £1.43

12.95%

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

$39.2K £29.1K

$38.2K £28.3K

2.81%

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

$39.9K £29.6K

$40.8K £30.3K

-2.27%

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

$248 £184

$370 £274

-32.82%

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

$16.31 £12.10

$16.04 £11.90

1.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 £29.48

$40.55 £30.09

-2.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.93 £31.86

$35.20 £26.11

21.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.99 £13.35

$8.00 £5.93

124.87%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 £9.99

$18.42 £13.67

-26.93%

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

$1,448 £1,075

$2,186 £1,622

-33.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K £15.6K

$31.1K £23.1K

-32.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 £61.8

$69.8 £51.8

19.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 £32.14

$57.1 £42.35

-24.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 £70.8

$81.9 £60.8

16.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 £74.1

$70.8 £52.5

41.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 £1,349

$1,136 £843

60.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 £915

$931 £691

32.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,925 £2,170

$1,624 £1,205

80.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 £1,425

$1,416 £1,051

35.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,751 £3,525

$4,629 £3,435

2.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,313 £3,200

$3,151 £2,338

36.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,798 £2,818

$3,452 £2,562

10.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.78

0.21%

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

Last update for Manchester: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ipswich: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.2%

Ipswich

$931 40.1% 24.5% $303

Eating Out

Manchester

$321 12.8%

Ipswich

$335 14.4% 4.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$304 12.1%

Ipswich

$426 18.4% 40% $122

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 12%

Ipswich

$314 13.5% 4.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$145 5.8%

Ipswich

$126 5.4% 13.2% $19

Getting Around

Manchester

$135 5.4%

Ipswich

$119 5.1% 12.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Ipswich

$72 3.1% 3.1% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,818 in Manchester and $1,136 in Ipswich. 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: $87 in Manchester vs $109 in Ipswich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $314 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Ipswich

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

120,000

💱 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

Manchester Ipswich 280 km

From you

Manchester
Ipswich

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 Ipswich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 10% higher in Manchester, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,818 in Manchester versus $1,136 in Ipswich. 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 $1,448 in Manchester versus $2,186 in Ipswich. 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.