Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $3,191 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,191

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,156 per month in Cambridge vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Cambridge $3,156
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $4,431 per month in Cambridge vs $3,641 in Glasgow, rent included.

Cambridge $4,431
Glasgow $3,641

A family of three spends $5,707 per month in Cambridge vs $4,856 in Glasgow, rent included.

Cambridge $5,707
Glasgow $4,856

Cambridge costs about 30% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Cambridge and Glasgow sit above the global median – Cambridge by 134%, Glasgow by 80%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 £16.17

$21.03 £15.78

2.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 £66.4

$66.7 £50.1

32.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.56 £7.92

2.56%

Cappuccino

$4.49 £3.37

$4.78 £3.59

-6.07%

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

$2.79 £2.09

$2.27 £1.70

22.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.90 £1.42

-1.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 £5.93

$5.43 £4.08

45.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.91

$6.76 £5.07

-3.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.65 £1.24

-0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$1.69 £1.27

5.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 £1.87

$1.98 £1.49

25.76%

Eggs

$4.53 £3.40

$3.93 £2.95

15.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 £7.45

$9.24 £6.93

7.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 £7.07

$9.29 £6.97

1.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.44 £11.59

$16.82 £12.62

-8.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$2.99 £2.24

-1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.49 £1.12

16.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 £2.77

$2.89 £2.17

28.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.22 £2.42

5.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.38

$1.97 £1.47

-6.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.59 £1.19

18.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.19 £0.89

4.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.64 £1.23

18.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.36 £16.77

$23.68 £17.76

-5.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.97 £8.23

$11.13 £8.35

-1.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.39 £2.54

-3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 £3.11

$3.44 £2.58

20.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 £71.3

$103 £77.5

-7.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 £5.82

$6.03 £4.52

28.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 £2.02

$1.16 £0.87

132.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.9 £38.18

$62.0 £46.48

-17.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.15 £1.62

-3.72%

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

$37.9K £28.4K

$39.3K £29.5K

-3.60%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$39.7K £29.8K

3.55%

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

$345 £258

$315 £236

9.49%

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

$18.37 £13.78

$20.19 £15.15

-9.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.78 £32.10

$43.28 £32.47

-1.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 £49.09

$46.26 £34.71

41.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 £15.48

$20.34 £15.26

1.43%

Cinema Ticket

$17.15 £12.86

$16.23 £12.17

5.67%

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

$2,590 £1,943

$905 £679

186.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K £26.9K

$21.6K £16.2K

65.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 £67.8

$135 £102

-33.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 £35.82

$46.32 £34.75

3.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 £68.6

$108 £80.9

-15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.5

$93.1 £69.9

36.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 £1,587

$1,350 £1,013

56.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 £1,302

$1,036 £778

67.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,193 £2,396

$2,680 £2,011

19.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 £2,021

$1,941 £1,456

38.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,107 £6,832

$4,064 £3,049

124.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,803 £4,353

$3,073 £2,306

88.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,405 £3,305

$3,420 £2,566

28.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

4.79

5.22%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 18, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4%

Glasgow

$1K 42.8% 40.3% $699

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$406 12.7%

Glasgow

$378 15.6% 6.8% $28

Eating Out

Cambridge

$330 10.3%

Glasgow

$315 13% 4.7% $15

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$327 10.2%

Glasgow

$313 12.9% 4.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$161 5%

Glasgow

$172 7.1% 7.3% $12

Getting Around

Cambridge

$133 4.2%

Glasgow

$131 5.4% 0.9% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$100 3.1%

Glasgow

$79 3.3% 21.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,041 in Cambridge 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 31% higher in Cambridge, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Cambridge versus $71.0 in Glasgow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $308 – making Glasgow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

Same time as Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,818

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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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

Cambridge vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,734 per month in Cambridge and $3,638 in Glasgow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Cambridge and $71.0 in Glasgow. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,156 in Cambridge and $2,425 in Glasgow. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Glasgow, where all-in costs run around $2,425, than in Cambridge at $3,156. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cambridge it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Glasgow. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cambridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.