Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chelmsford and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,567 in Chelmsford, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chelmsford outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

123

Cost of Living Index in Chelmsford
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Chelmsford Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Chelmsford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,567

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,567 in Chelmsford versus $2,425 in Glasgow.

Chelmsford $2,567
Glasgow $2,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,761 in Chelmsford versus $3,706 in Glasgow.

Chelmsford $3,761
Glasgow $3,706

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,954 in Chelmsford versus $4,987 in Glasgow.

Chelmsford $4,954
Glasgow $4,987

Living in Chelmsford is roughly 6% more expensive than in Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chelmsford 89% above, Glasgow 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.63 £14.66

$21.28 £15.89

-7.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 £54.5

$67.2 £50.2

8.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 £6.85

$10.58 £7.90

-13.33%

Cappuccino

$5.09 £3.80

$4.81 £3.59

5.82%

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

$2.82 £2.10

$2.26 £1.69

24.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 £1.06

$1.83 £1.37

-22.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.40 £5.53

$5.48 £4.09

35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 £5.47

$6.63 £4.95

10.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.67 £1.24

-4.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.64 £1.22

-11.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 £1.97

$2.00 £1.49

32.00%

Eggs

$3.46 £2.58

$4.00 £2.98

-13.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 £7.59

$9.28 £6.93

9.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.46 £6.31

$9.08 £6.78

-6.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.51 £10.09

$16.75 £12.51

-19.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 £1.74

$3.02 £2.26

-22.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.51 £1.13

-17.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$2.91 £2.18

2.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 £1.58

$3.19 £2.38

-33.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.93 £1.44

-8.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.55 £1.16

-2.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.13 £0.84

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 £1.07

$1.58 £1.18

-8.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.69 £17.69

$23.96 £17.89

-1.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.92 £8.90

$11.32 £8.45

5.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 £1.70

$3.37 £2.51

-32.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.02

$3.33 £2.49

-18.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.04 £3.02

$3.98 £2.97

1.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £77.7

$108 £80.7

-3.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 £3.64

$5.75 £4.29

-15.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.14 £0.85

54.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.23 £19.58

$60.6 £45.26

-56.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.50

$2.09 £1.56

-4.31%

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

$38.7K £28.9K

$39.3K £29.3K

-1.43%

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

$40.7K £30.4K

$40.6K £30.3K

0.19%

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

$265 £198

$312 £233

-15.34%

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

$14.70 £10.98

$20.29 £15.15

-27.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.12 £29.96

$42.05 £31.40

-4.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 £38.34

$37.31 £27.86

37.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.48

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 £9.04

$16.26 £12.14

-25.52%

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

$2,034 £1,518

$1,124 £839

80.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K £9,870

$21.6K £16.1K

-38.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 £74.6

$132 £98.5

-24.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.75 £32.67

$45.81 £34.20

-4.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 £71.6

$107 £79.6

-10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 £64.7

$93.4 £69.7

-7.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 £1,182

$1,368 £1,022

15.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 £968

$1,047 £782

23.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,521 £1,882

$2,770 £2,068

-8.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 £1,662

$2,080 £1,553

7.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,442 £5,557

$4,035 £3,013

84.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,096 £3,805

$2,923 £2,182

74.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,919 £2,180

$3,339 £2,493

-12.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.06

4.79

5.64%

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

Last update for Chelmsford: October 27, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chelmsford

$1.3K 50.5%

Glasgow

$1K 43.2% 19.2% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chelmsford

$319 12.4%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 17.4% $55

Eating Out

Chelmsford

$314 12.2%

Glasgow

$317 13.1% 0.8% $2.5

Groceries & Markets

Chelmsford

$280 10.9%

Glasgow

$311 12.8% 10.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chelmsford

$147 5.7%

Glasgow

$170 7% 15.8% $23

Getting Around

Chelmsford

$134 5.2%

Glasgow

$135 5.6% 1.2% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chelmsford

$76 2.9%

Glasgow

$70 2.9% 7.6% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Chelmsford and $1,368 in Glasgow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Glasgow pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73 in Chelmsford vs $67 in Glasgow. Groceries flip the comparison at $280 vs $311, with Chelmsford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chelmsford

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

Same time as Chelmsford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,194

606,340

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chelmsford Glasgow 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chelmsford
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

Chelmsford vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,567 in Chelmsford and $2,425 in Glasgow, so Glasgow is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Chelmsford. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,583 in Chelmsford versus $1,368 in Glasgow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,034 in Chelmsford versus $1,124 in Glasgow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Chelmsford pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Glasgow gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.