Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bristol and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,853 in Bristol, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Bristol
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Bristol Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Bristol

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,853

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Bristol versus $2,425 in Glasgow.

Bristol $2,853
Glasgow $2,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,195 in Bristol versus $3,644 in Glasgow.

Bristol $4,195
Glasgow $3,644

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,537 in Bristol versus $4,864 in Glasgow.

Bristol $5,537
Glasgow $4,864

Living in Bristol is roughly 18% more expensive than in Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bristol 111% above, Glasgow 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.72 £17.79

$21.03 £15.78

12.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 £86.1

$66.7 £50.1

71.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.90

$10.56 £7.92

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.23 £3.92

$4.78 £3.59

9.41%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$2.27 £1.70

17.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.90 £1.42

-6.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 £5.88

$5.43 £4.08

44.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 £5.12

$6.76 £5.07

1.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.65 £1.24

-7.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.69 £1.27

-2.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.98 £1.49

1.01%

Eggs

$4.27 £3.21

$3.93 £2.95

8.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 £6.12

$9.24 £6.93

-11.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 £7.17

$9.29 £6.97

2.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.84 £9.63

$16.82 £12.62

-23.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 £2.41

$2.99 £2.24

7.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.49 £1.12

15.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 £1.98

$2.89 £2.17

-8.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 £3.05

$3.22 £2.42

26.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.97 £1.47

3.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.59 £1.19

-3.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.19 £0.89

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.64 £1.23

26.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.02 £17.27

$23.68 £17.76

-2.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.53 £7.90

$11.13 £8.35

-5.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 £2.11

$3.39 £2.54

-16.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 £2.66

$3.44 £2.58

3.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.53 £2.65

$4.07 £3.05

-13.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$120 £89.9

$103 £77.5

16.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 £2.62

$6.03 £4.52

-42.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.16 £0.87

40.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.14 £20.36

$62.0 £46.48

-56.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.15 £1.62

-4.65%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

0.12%

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

$41.3K £31.0K

$39.7K £29.8K

4.19%

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

$317 £238

$315 £236

0.80%

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

$17.00 £12.76

$20.19 £15.15

-15.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.33 £29.51

$43.28 £32.47

-9.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.53 £37.16

$46.26 £34.71

7.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.77 £8.83

$20.34 £15.26

-42.13%

Cinema Ticket

$15.31 £11.49

$16.23 £12.17

-5.67%

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

$2,273 £1,705

$905 £679

151.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$21.6K £16.2K

17.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 £76.1

$135 £102

-25.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.13 £36.10

$46.32 £34.75

3.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$108 £80.9

-2.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 £74.4

$93.1 £69.9

6.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 £1,430

$1,350 £1,013

41.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 £1,075

$1,036 £778

38.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 £2,300

$2,680 £2,011

14.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,326 £1,745

$1,941 £1,456

19.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,885 £5,165

$4,064 £3,049

69.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,305 £3,980

$3,073 £2,306

72.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,771 £2,829

$3,420 £2,566

10.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

4.79

1.67%

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

Last update for Bristol: October 17, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bristol

$1.4K 50.3%

Glasgow

$1K 42.8% 27.7% $397

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bristol

$373 13.1%

Glasgow

$378 15.6% 1.2% $4.6

Eating Out

Bristol

$355 12.4%

Glasgow

$315 13% 11.3% $40

Groceries & Markets

Bristol

$306 10.7%

Glasgow

$313 12.9% 2.2% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Bristol

$159 5.6%

Glasgow

$172 7.1% 8% $13

Getting Around

Bristol

$146 5.1%

Glasgow

$131 5.4% 9.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bristol

$80 2.8%

Glasgow

$79 3.3% 1.8% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Bristol and $1,350 in Glasgow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol pays 10% 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: $115 in Bristol vs $67.0 in Glasgow. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $313, with Bristol cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bristol

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

Same time as Bristol

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,400

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

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Between locations

Bristol Glasgow 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bristol
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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

Bristol vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bristol and Glasgow differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,853 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 10% higher in Bristol, 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: $1,907 in Bristol versus $1,350 in Glasgow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bristol pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Glasgow – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $115 in Bristol. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,425 in Glasgow versus $2,853 in Bristol, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Glasgow but tight or insufficient in Bristol. 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, Bristol 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 18% less than in Bristol. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.