Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Lincoln

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.

123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Lincoln

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

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

Manchester $2,532
Lincoln $2,203

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

Manchester $3,686
Lincoln $3,290

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

Manchester $4,839
Lincoln $4,376

Living in Manchester is roughly 15% more expensive than in Lincoln, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.18

$26.70 £20.03

-24.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 £65.3

$85.8 £64.4

1.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$8.14 £6.11

33.05%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.98 £3.74

-3.41%

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

$2.44 £1.83

$2.64 £1.98

-7.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.97 £1.48

-17.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.87

$6.70 £5.03

16.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$6.58 £4.94

-1.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.40 £1.05

3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.49 £1.12

30.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.34 £1.01

38.81%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$3.36 £2.52

20.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 £7.32

$8.31 £6.23

17.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 £6.83

$8.59 £6.44

6.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.64

$11.39 £8.54

36.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.48 £2.61

-8.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.20 £0.90

26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$3.11 £2.33

-2.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$3.65 £2.74

-8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.47 £1.10

5.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.16 £0.87

12.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.04 £0.78

17.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.35 £1.02

-5.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.77

$23.57 £17.68

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$10.50 £7.88

3.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$3.18 £2.39

-19.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$3.59 £2.69

-12.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £2.01

$4.15 £3.12

-35.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £79.1

$107 £80.3

-1.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 £3.31

$3.88 £2.91

13.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.71 £0.54

209.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 £22.85

$19.84 £14.89

53.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.06 £1.54

-0.97%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$38.6K £28.9K

1.52%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$40.4K £30.3K

-0.20%

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

$252 £189

$304 £228

-17.19%

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

$16.62 £12.47

$17.07 £12.81

-2.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 £30.47

$40.02 £30.02

1.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

$26.70 £20.03

106.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

$21.35 £16.01

-15.60%

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 £9.95

$15.55 £11.66

-14.73%

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

$1,252 £939

$1,831 £1,373

-31.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$20.6K £15.5K

-3.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 £63.2

$115 £85.9

-26.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 £32.05

$58.6 £43.98

-27.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 £69.2

$84.9 £63.7

8.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.8

$99.3 £74.5

7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 £1,342

$1,078 £809

66.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$854 £640

45.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 £2,261

$1,936 £1,453

55.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 £1,471

$1,426 £1,070

37.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

$2,503 £1,878

81.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

$1,220 £916

256.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,460 £2,596

$3,307 £2,481

4.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

4.88

-1.23%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lincoln: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Lincoln

$854 38.7% 31.3% $389

Eating Out

Manchester

$320 12.7%

Lincoln

$363 16.5% 13.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$309 12.2%

Lincoln

$361 16.4% 16.9% $52

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$301 11.9%

Lincoln

$276 12.5% 8.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$146 5.8%

Lincoln

$161 7.3% 9.8% $14

Getting Around

Manchester

$132 5.2%

Lincoln

$131 6% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$82 3.2%

Lincoln

$58 2.6% 29.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,789 in Manchester and $1,078 in Lincoln. 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: $87.0 in Manchester vs $86.0 in Lincoln for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $276 per month, with Lincoln cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

97,541

💱 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

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Manchester Lincoln 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

Manchester vs Lincoln: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 5% 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: $1,789 in Manchester versus $1,078 in Lincoln. 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 $2,532 per month in Manchester versus $2,203 in Lincoln – 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, Manchester and Lincoln 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.