Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southwark and Manchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Southwark: $1,486 a month against $2,532 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Manchester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in Southwark
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Southwark Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index

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Southwark

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,486

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,486 per month in Southwark vs $2,532 in Manchester, rent included.

Southwark $1,486
Manchester $2,532

A couple spends around $4,262 per month in Southwark vs $3,686 in Manchester, rent included.

Southwark $4,262
Manchester $3,686

A family of three spends $7,038 per month in Southwark vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Southwark $7,038
Manchester $4,839

Southwark is about 41% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Southwark and Manchester sit above the global median – Southwark by 10%, Manchester by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.00 £18.76

$20.23 £15.18

23.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £75.6

$87.1 £65.3

15.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £8.00

$10.83 £8.12

-1.48%

Cappuccino

$5.70 £4.28

$4.81 £3.61

18.50%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$2.44 £1.83

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 £1.95

$1.62 £1.21

60.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.29 £6.97

$7.82 £5.87

18.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.28 £6.21

$6.48 £4.86

27.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.45 £1.09

32.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.95 £1.47

5.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.86 £1.40

18.28%

Eggs

$4.38 £3.29

$4.05 £3.04

8.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.90 £8.93

$9.76 £7.32

21.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 £6.80

$9.11 £6.83

-0.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.57 £11.68

$15.52 £11.64

0.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.20 £2.40

-4.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.52 £1.14

-5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 £2.24

$3.02 £2.26

-1.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$3.34 £2.51

5.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.55 £1.17

7.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 £1.34

$1.30 £0.98

37.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.22 £0.92

11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.28 £0.96

45.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.44 £17.59

$23.68 £17.77

-1.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 £9.12

$10.88 £8.16

11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 £2.29

$2.55 £1.91

19.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$3.15 £2.36

2.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.92

$2.68 £2.01

45.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$157 £118

$105 £79.1

48.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 £3.73

$4.42 £3.31

12.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 £2.04

$2.20 £1.65

23.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.66 £29.75

$30.45 £22.85

30.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 £1.62

$2.04 £1.53

5.39%

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

$37.9K £28.4K

$39.2K £29.4K

-3.34%

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

$39.9K £30.0K

$40.3K £30.2K

-0.80%

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

$335 £251

$252 £189

32.99%

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

$18.37 £13.78

$16.62 £12.47

10.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.35 £30.27

$40.61 £30.47

-0.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 £41.32

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 £13.52

Cinema Ticket

$18.05 £13.54

$13.26 £9.95

36.12%

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

$2,557 £1,919

$1,252 £939

104.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K £22.8K

$19.9K £14.9K

52.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.1 £69.9

$84.2 £63.2

10.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.53 £34.91

$42.72 £32.05

8.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £77.5

$92.2 £69.2

11.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 £67.5

$106 £79.8

-15.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 £1,731

$1,789 £1,342

28.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,586 £4,190

$3,014 £2,261

85.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,792 £2,844

$1,961 £1,471

93.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 £3,415

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,349 £3,262

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,185 £3,140

$3,460 £2,596

20.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

4.82

6.22%

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

Last update for Southwark: October 18, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southwark

$393 26.5%

Manchester

$309 12.2% 21.5% $85

Eating Out

Southwark

$386 26%

Manchester

$320 12.7% 17% $66

Groceries & Markets

Southwark

$329 22.2%

Manchester

$301 11.9% 8.6% $28

Getting Around

Southwark

$191 12.9%

Manchester

$132 5.2% 31.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Southwark

$150 10.1%

Manchester

$146 5.8% 2.2% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Southwark

$36 * 2.4%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 126% $45

Accommodation & Living

Southwark

- * 0%

Manchester

$1.2K 49.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,307 in Southwark versus $1,789 in Manchester. 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 21% higher in Southwark, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Southwark versus $87.0 in Manchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $301 – making Manchester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southwark

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

Same time as Southwark

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,552

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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Between locations

Southwark Manchester 270 km

From you

Southwark
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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

Southwark vs Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,229 per month in Southwark and $3,798 in Manchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Southwark, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,557 per month in Southwark and $1,252 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Manchester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,486 in Southwark and $2,532 in Manchester. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Southwark – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Southwark. 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.