✦ Compare
Lugano vs
Manchester
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Lugano, CH vs Manchester, UK at a glance — Manchester, UK is 26% cheaper than Lugano, CH overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,100/mo versus $1,800/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 40%.
To keep the same standard of living in Manchester, UK, you'd need
$55,705 / year
Manchester, UK is 26% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Manchester, UK vs Lugano, CH)
- Housing-26%
- Food & groceries-27%
- Transport-20%
- Utilities0%
- Healthcare-39%
- Goods & services-29%
Median 1-bed rent
$1,800 /mo
Lugano, CH overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$1,100 /mo
Manchester, UK overview →
◎ How Lugano, CH and Manchester, UK compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Lugano, CH | Manchester, UK | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 147 | 109 |
| Housing | 160 | 118 |
| Food | 150 | 110 |
| Transport | 115 | 92 |
| Utilities | 122 | 122 |
| Healthcare | 140 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 155 | 110 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,800/mo | $1,100/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | — | $820/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | — | $2,100/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | — | $4,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $679 | $914 |
| Inexpensive meal | — | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | — | $85 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 40% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 8.1% | 20% |
| Social security (employee) | — | 8% |
| Corporate tax | 15% | 25% |
| Capital gains | 0% | 24% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $6,000/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | — | $66,299✓ |
| Minimum wage | — | $2,050/mo |
| GDP per capita | $114,769✓ | $57,602✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 0.2%✓ | 3.9%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | — | Native |
| Coworking spaces | — | 40 |
| Time zone | — | UTC+0 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | — | 68 |
| Safety index | — | 55 |
| Healthcare index | — | 80 |
| Pollution index | — | 42 |
| Internet speed | — | 140 Mbps |
| Walkability | — | 80 |
| Public transport | — | 72 |
| Family-friendly | — | 68 |
| Tap water | — | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 81 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | — | +4 °C |
| July avg | — | +16 °C |
| Sunny days / year | — | 100 |
| Rainfall / year | — | 870 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | — | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Switzerland vs United Kingdom. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Lugano vs Manchester — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Lugano
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
Good to know before you move to Manchester
The capital of the UK's north — a music-and-football city reinventing itself as a fast-growing media and tech hub. Rents run roughly half of London's, the crowd is young and the nightlife serious; the trade-off is the famously grey, wet weather.
- Currency
- Pound sterling (£ GBP)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC+0
- Internet
- 140 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 4°C · ☀ 16°C · 100 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- G · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Northern Quarter · Ancoats · Didsbury · Chorlton
Plan your move to Lugano
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Manchester
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Lugano to Manchester: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Lugano to Manchester, your cost of living will be roughly 26% cheaper. Manchester’s cost-of-living index is 109 versus 147 for Lugano (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Lugano cheaper than Manchester?
Manchester is about 26% cheaper than Lugano overall — its cost-of-living index is 109 versus 147 for Lugano.
Which is more expensive, Lugano or Manchester?
Lugano is more expensive than Manchester. Its cost-of-living index is 147 vs 109 (US = 100) — about 35% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Lugano or Manchester?
Rent is cheaper in Manchester — about $1,100/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,800 in Lugano.
How much do you need to earn in Manchester to live like in Lugano?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Lugano is worth about $55,705 in Manchester. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Lugano or Manchester?
Switzerland has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 45% in United Kingdom.
◷ More comparisons from Lugano
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.