Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Lowestoft

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.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Lowestoft
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Lowestoft Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Lowestoft

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manchester and in Lowestoft

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

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

Manchester $2,499
Lowestoft $2,625

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

Manchester $3,623
Lowestoft $3,865

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

Manchester $4,747
Lowestoft $5,105

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 £15.22

$27.13 £20.42

-25.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 £64.7

$105 £79.3

-18.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.08

$10.71 £8.06

0.28%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.52

$5.54 £4.17

-15.52%

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

$2.44 £1.84

$2.92 £2.19

-16.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.22

$2.14 £1.61

-24.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.85

$6.31 £4.75

23.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £5.04

$7.97 £6.00

-15.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.92 £1.44

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 £1.42

$2.00 £1.51

-6.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$2.47 £1.86

-21.46%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.07

$4.95 £3.73

-17.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.23

$12.60 £9.49

-23.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.76

$10.54 £7.93

-14.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.60

$17.21 £12.95

-10.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.33

$3.14 £2.36

-1.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.38 £1.04

14.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$3.14 £2.36

-6.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 £2.52

$3.43 £2.58

-2.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.68 £1.27

-10.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.72 £1.30

-21.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.48 £1.11

-14.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.93

$1.80 £1.36

-31.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.05 £18.10

$23.71 £17.85

1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.19

$13.22 £9.95

-17.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.83

$3.19 £2.40

-23.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$4.49 £3.38

-29.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.06

$3.51 £2.64

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £81.2

$95.2 £71.7

13.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.40

$5.55 £4.18

-18.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 £1.67

$3.27 £2.46

-32.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 £23.20

$26.08 £19.63

18.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.61

$2.07 £1.56

3.38%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$38.2K £28.8K

0.64%

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

$40.0K £30.1K

$40.5K £30.5K

-1.22%

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

$252 £190

$379 £285

-33.35%

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

$16.23 £12.21

$18.61 £14.01

-12.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 £29.79

$41.08 £30.91

-3.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 £32.12

$47.05 £35.41

-9.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 £13.59

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.12

$17.91 £13.48

-24.96%

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

$1,494 £1,125

$2,861 £2,153

-47.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.8K

$36.0K £27.1K

-45.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 £62.9

$116 £87.5

-28.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.97 £32.34

$55.0 £41.42

-21.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.5

$126 £94.7

-24.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$162 £122

-34.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 £1,344

$1,226 £922

45.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £920

$1,031 £776

18.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,930 £2,205

$2,125 £1,599

37.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 £1,429

$1,632 £1,229

16.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,668 £3,513

$5,020 £3,778

-7.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,397 £3,309

$3,878 £2,918

13.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,395 £2,555

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

4.74

1.69%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lowestoft: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9%

Lowestoft

$1K 39.3% 15.7% $191

Eating Out

Manchester

$319 12.8%

Lowestoft

$383 14.6% 20.3% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$308 12.3%

Lowestoft

$438 16.7% 42.2% $130

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$299 12%

Lowestoft

$352 13.4% 17.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$147 5.9%

Lowestoft

$207 7.9% 40.1% $59

Getting Around

Manchester

$134 5.4%

Lowestoft

$131 5% 2.4% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$70 2.8%

Lowestoft

$83 3.2% 19.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

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

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

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇬🇧 Lowestoft

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

Same time as Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

64,358

💱 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 Lowestoft 290 km

From you

Manchester
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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 Lowestoft: 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 $3,749 in Manchester and $3,938 in Lowestoft 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: $1,785 in Manchester versus $1,226 in Lowestoft. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,494 in Manchester versus $2,861 in Lowestoft. 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.