Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bournemouth and Glasgow

For one person, living costs are similar in Bournemouth and in Glasgow: $2,509 and $2,425 a month, rent and utilities included.

Bournemouth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,509
/mo nomad
Glasgow
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,425
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bournemouth and in Glasgow

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bournemouth and in Glasgow actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,509 per month in Bournemouth vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $2,509
  • Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in Bournemouth vs $3,641 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $3,689
  • Glasgow $3,641

A family of three spends $4,870 per month in Bournemouth vs $4,856 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $4,870
  • Glasgow $4,856

Bournemouth costs about 3% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bournemouth and Glasgow sit above the global median – Bournemouth by 86%, Glasgow by 80%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bournemouth
Glasgow
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.33 £15.25
$21.32 £15.99
-4.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 £75.6
$71.5 £53.6
41.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 £8.76
$10.42 £7.82
12.09%
Cappuccino
$4.76 £3.57
$4.81 £3.61
-1.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 £2.41
$2.15 £1.61
49.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 £1.53
$1.80 £1.35
12.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.78 £5.09
$5.32 £3.99
27.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.19 £5.39
$6.52 £4.89
10.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bournemouth
Glasgow
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 £1.21
$1.62 £1.22
-0.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 £1.16
$1.61 £1.21
-4.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.96 £1.47
-8.16%
Eggs
$4.32 £3.24
$3.80 £2.85
13.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.23 £4.68
$9.22 £6.92
-32.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 £6.96
$9.03 £6.78
2.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.68 £9.51
$16.68 £12.52
-23.98%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 £1.67
$3.10 £2.33
-28.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 £1.32
$1.56 £1.17
12.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 £1.46
$2.94 £2.21
-34.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.11 £1.58
$3.19 £2.40
-33.86%
Potato (1kg)
$2.03 £1.52
$1.98 £1.48
2.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 £0.95
$1.61 £1.21
-21.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.89 £1.42
$1.15 £0.86
64.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 £1.27
$1.58 £1.19
6.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.60 £17.71
$23.19 £17.40
1.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.36 £7.02
$10.88 £8.17
-13.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.80 £2.10
$3.22 £2.42
-13.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 £1.87
$3.38 £2.54
-26.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Bournemouth
Glasgow
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.64 £2.73
$4.31 £3.23
-15.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.8 £68.1
$103 £77.4
-11.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 £2.42
$5.66 £4.25
-42.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.29 £1.72
$1.13 £0.85
102.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.25 £24.20
$60.4 £45.34
-46.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.49
$2.14 £1.60
-7.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$38.6K £28.9K
-1.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.0K £30.0K
$40.5K £30.4K
-1.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bournemouth
Glasgow
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$353 £265
$313 £235
12.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.19 £12.14
$20.21 £15.16
-19.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.90 £32.18
$41.75 £31.32
2.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bournemouth
Glasgow
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.33 £28.00
$45.71 £34.29
-18.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.71 £8.78
$20.00 £15.00
-41.45%
Cinema Ticket
$17.19 £12.90
$15.76 £11.82
9.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bournemouth
Glasgow
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,218 £1,664
$903 £677
145.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$33.8K £25.4K
$21.7K £16.3K
56.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bournemouth
Glasgow
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.8 £66.6
$133 £99.7
-33.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.86 £32.90
$46.40 £34.81
-5.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.6 £62.0
$107 £80.0
-22.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$143 £107
$89.3 £67.0
60.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bournemouth
Glasgow
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 £944
$1,317 £988
-4.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,146 £860
$1,050 £787
9.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 £2,003
$2,746 £2,060
-2.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,898 £1,424
$1,931 £1,448
-1.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,662 £4,998
$4,110 £3,083
62.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,474 £4,107
$3,011 £2,259
81.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bournemouth
Glasgow
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,920 £2,191
$3,323 £2,493
-12.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.96
4.79
3.55%

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

Last update for Bournemouth: October 11, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bournemouth
$1.1K
Glasgow
$1K 8.4% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bournemouth
$412
Glasgow
$375 9% $37
Eating Out
Bournemouth
$324
Glasgow
$315 2.8% $9.2
Groceries & Markets
Bournemouth
$273
Glasgow
$308 12.8% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Bournemouth
$161
Glasgow
$169 4.7% $7.7
Getting Around
Bournemouth
$120
Glasgow
$132 9.7% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Bournemouth
$72
Glasgow
$77 7.7% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,258 in Bournemouth versus $1,317 in Glasgow. 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 14% higher in Glasgow, 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 Bournemouth versus $71.0 in Glasgow. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Bournemouth vs $308 in Glasgow – so Bournemouth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Bournemouth
🇬🇧 Glasgow
🕒 Local time
04:42 4:42 AM
04:42 4:42 AM
Same time as Bournemouth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,491
606,340
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bournemouth Glasgow 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bournemouth
  • Glasgow

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
Bournemouth vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bournemouth or Glasgow?
Bournemouth costs about 3% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bournemouth and in Glasgow?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,763 per month in Bournemouth and $3,638 in Glasgow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bournemouth or Glasgow?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Glasgow, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Bournemouth or in Glasgow?
Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Bournemouth – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
How do dining costs compare in Bournemouth and in Glasgow?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bournemouth and $71.0 in Glasgow. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Bournemouth or in Glasgow?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Glasgow, where all-in costs run around $2,425, than in Bournemouth at $2,509. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bournemouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bournemouth or Glasgow?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Glasgow costs $2,425 versus $2,509 in Bournemouth. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Bournemouth or to Glasgow?
If budget matters most, go with Glasgow. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bournemouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Bournemouth vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?