Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Manchester: $2,499 a month against $2,765 in Portsmouth, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portsmouth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

134

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth
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Portsmouth Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,765

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,765 per month in Portsmouth vs $2,499 in Manchester, rent included.

Portsmouth $2,765
Manchester $2,499

A couple spends around $3,781 per month in Portsmouth vs $3,623 in Manchester, rent included.

Portsmouth $3,781
Manchester $3,623

A family of three spends $4,798 per month in Portsmouth vs $4,747 in Manchester, rent included.

Portsmouth $4,798
Manchester $4,747

Portsmouth costs about 11% more than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Portsmouth and Manchester sit above the global median – Portsmouth by 103%, Manchester by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 £15.12

$20.22 £15.22

-0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 £50.0

$86.0 £64.7

-22.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.93

$10.74 £8.08

-1.86%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.60

$4.68 £3.52

2.14%

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

$2.74 £2.07

$2.44 £1.84

12.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 £1.74

$1.62 £1.22

42.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.28 £4.73

$7.78 £5.85

-19.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 £4.40

$6.70 £5.04

-12.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 £1.05

$1.51 £1.13

-7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.88 £1.42

-14.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 £2.76

$1.94 £1.46

89.18%

Eggs

$3.46 £2.60

$4.08 £3.07

-15.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 £10.15

$9.61 £7.23

40.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 £6.14

$8.98 £6.76

-9.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 £9.92

$15.41 £11.60

-14.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.89 £2.93

$3.09 £2.33

25.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.46

$1.58 £1.19

22.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$2.95 £2.22

-1.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.54

$3.35 £2.52

0.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.51 £1.14

10.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.35 £1.01

23.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.26 £0.95

-3.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.11

$1.23 £0.93

19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.69 £17.07

$24.05 £18.10

-5.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.38

$10.88 £8.19

2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 £2.35

$2.43 £1.83

28.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 £1.62

$3.17 £2.38

-31.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.94 £2.96

$2.73 £2.06

44.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.3 £65.0

$108 £81.2

-20.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 £4.00

$4.52 £3.40

17.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 £1.16

$2.22 £1.67

-30.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.93 £15.00

$30.82 £23.20

-35.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$2.14 £1.61

-2.34%

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

$38.5K £29.0K

$38.5K £28.9K

0.14%

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

$41.1K £30.9K

$40.0K £30.1K

2.57%

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

$661 £497

$252 £190

161.77%

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

$15.19 £11.43

$16.23 £12.21

-6.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.05 £32.40

$39.58 £29.79

8.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.53 £25.99

$42.67 £32.12

-19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 £12.97

$18.05 £13.59

-4.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 £8.13

$13.44 £10.12

-19.64%

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

$1,602 £1,205

$1,494 £1,125

7.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K £15.1K

$19.7K £14.8K

1.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 £68.6

$83.5 £62.9

9.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 £29.96

$42.97 £32.34

-7.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 £75.6

$95.0 £71.5

5.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £89.9

$106 £79.7

12.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 £1,124

$1,785 £1,344

-16.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 £822

$1,222 £920

-10.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 £1,615

$2,930 £2,205

-26.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 £1,256

$1,899 £1,429

-12.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,574 £3,442

$4,668 £3,513

-2.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,680 £2,770

$4,397 £3,309

-16.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,397 £2,556

$3,395 £2,555

0.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

4.82

7.05%

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

Last update for Portsmouth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portsmouth

$1.1K 39.5%

Manchester

$1.2K 48.9% 12% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

$719 26%

Manchester

$308 12.3% 57.1% $411

Eating Out

Portsmouth

$313 11.3%

Manchester

$319 12.8% 1.8% $5.7

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

$312 11.3%

Manchester

$299 12% 4.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

$158 5.7%

Manchester

$147 5.9% 6.7% $11

Getting Around

Portsmouth

$115 4.2%

Manchester

$134 5.4% 16.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

$56 2%

Manchester

$70 2.8% 23.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,493 in Portsmouth versus $1,785 in Manchester. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Portsmouth versus $86 in Manchester. Groceries tell a different story – $312 in Portsmouth vs $299 in Manchester – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Portsmouth

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

Same time as Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,974

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

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Portsmouth Manchester 310 km

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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

Portsmouth vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Portsmouth is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,147 per month in Portsmouth and $3,749 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portsmouth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,493 there versus $1,785 in Manchester.

Kindergarten costs $1,602 per month in Portsmouth and $1,494 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Portsmouth, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manchester costs $2,499 versus $2,765 in Portsmouth. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.