Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brighton and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,942 in Brighton, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Brighton
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Brighton Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Brighton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,942

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,942 in Brighton versus $2,425 in Glasgow.

Brighton $2,942
Glasgow $2,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,181 in Brighton versus $3,641 in Glasgow.

Brighton $4,181
Glasgow $3,641

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,419 in Brighton versus $4,856 in Glasgow.

Brighton $5,419
Glasgow $4,856

Living in Brighton is roughly 21% more expensive than in Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brighton 118% above, Glasgow 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.55 £19.17

$21.32 £15.99

19.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.3 £71.5

$71.5 £53.6

33.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.69 £7.27

$10.42 £7.82

-7.01%

Cappuccino

$5.23 £3.92

$4.81 £3.61

8.73%

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

$3.95 £2.96

$2.15 £1.61

83.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 £2.46

$1.80 £1.35

82.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.92 £6.69

$5.32 £3.99

67.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.31 £6.99

$6.52 £4.89

42.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.62 £1.22

19.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.61 £1.21

27.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.96 £1.47

6.63%

Eggs

$4.35 £3.27

$3.80 £2.85

14.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.72 £8.79

$9.22 £6.92

27.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 £6.88

$9.03 £6.78

1.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 £11.20

$16.68 £12.52

-10.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.10 £2.33

-2.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.56 £1.17

23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$2.94 £2.21

1.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 £2.73

$3.19 £2.40

14.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.98 £1.48

6.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.61 £1.21

13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.15 £0.86

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.58 £1.19

8.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.81 £17.86

$23.19 £17.40

2.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 £8.36

$10.88 £8.17

2.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.22 £2.42

-6.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 £2.35

$3.38 £2.54

-7.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.98

$4.31 £3.23

-7.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$127 £95.4

$103 £77.4

23.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 £3.79

$5.66 £4.25

-10.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 £2.01

$1.13 £0.85

137.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.01 £29.26

$60.4 £45.34

-35.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 £1.61

$2.14 £1.60

0.47%

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

$38.3K £28.7K

$38.6K £28.9K

-0.61%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$40.5K £30.4K

-1.54%

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

$286 £214

$313 £235

-8.65%

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

$16.41 £12.31

$20.21 £15.16

-18.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.94 £33.72

$41.75 £31.32

7.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 £38.27

$45.71 £34.29

11.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.55 £20.67

$20.00 £15.00

37.75%

Cinema Ticket

$17.57 £13.18

$15.76 £11.82

11.48%

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

$2,053 £1,540

$903 £677

127.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.8K £22.4K

$21.7K £16.3K

37.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 £67.1

$133 £99.7

-32.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.65 £33.50

$46.40 £34.81

-3.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.7

$107 £80.0

-2.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 £66.1

$89.3 £67.0

-1.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,895 £1,421

$1,317 £988

43.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 £1,115

$1,050 £787

41.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,863 £2,148

$2,746 £2,060

4.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,185 £1,639

$1,931 £1,448

13.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,414 £6,312

$4,110 £3,083

104.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,196 £4,648

$3,011 £2,259

105.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,403 £2,553

$3,323 £2,493

2.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

4.79

6.89%

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

Last update for Brighton: October 13, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brighton

$1.5K 50.5%

Glasgow

$1K 43.3% 29.4% $436

Eating Out

Brighton

$388 13.2%

Glasgow

$315 13% 18.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brighton

$347 11.8%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 8% $28

Groceries & Markets

Brighton

$327 11.1%

Glasgow

$308 12.7% 5.7% $19

Getting Around

Brighton

$161 5.5%

Glasgow

$132 5.4% 18.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Brighton

$147 5%

Glasgow

$169 7% 15.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Brighton

$86 2.9%

Glasgow

$77 3.2% 10.4% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,895 in Brighton and $1,317 in Glasgow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brighton pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $95.0 in Brighton vs $71.0 in Glasgow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $308 per month, with Glasgow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Brighton

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

Same time as Brighton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

256,000

606,340

💱 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

Brighton Glasgow 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brighton
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

Brighton vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brighton and Glasgow differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,942 vs $2,425 including rent). Glasgow is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Brighton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,895 in Brighton versus $1,317 in Glasgow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,053 in Brighton versus $903 in Glasgow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Brighton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,425 in Glasgow versus $2,942 in Brighton, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Glasgow but tight or insufficient in Brighton. The gap between the two cities makes Glasgow the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Brighton and Glasgow are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Glasgow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Brighton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.