Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Aberdeen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aberdeen: $2,292 a month against $2,463 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Glasgow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
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Aberdeen Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,463

/mo nomad

Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Aberdeen

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

A single person spends $2,463 per month in Glasgow vs $2,292 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Glasgow $2,463
Aberdeen $2,292

A couple spends around $3,755 per month in Glasgow vs $3,567 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Glasgow $3,755
Aberdeen $3,567

A family of three spends $5,047 per month in Glasgow vs $4,841 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Glasgow $5,047
Aberdeen $4,841

Glasgow costs about 7% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Glasgow and Aberdeen sit above the global median – Glasgow by 82%, Aberdeen by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.74 £16.12

$20.00 £14.83

8.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 £48.81

$102 £75.7

-35.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.03

$10.69 £7.93

1.31%

Cappuccino

$4.96 £3.68

$4.75 £3.52

4.42%

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

$2.37 £1.76

$2.86 £2.12

-17.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.37

$2.20 £1.63

-15.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 £4.05

$7.20 £5.34

-24.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 £5.10

$7.90 £5.86

-12.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.55 £1.15

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.80 £1.33

-5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 £1.47

$2.04 £1.51

-2.45%

Eggs

$3.99 £2.96

$4.46 £3.31

-10.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 £6.68

$8.63 £6.40

4.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 £6.72

$12.31 £9.13

-26.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 £12.86

$16.59 £12.30

4.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.25

$2.90 £2.15

4.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.17

$1.36 £1.01

16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 £2.23

$2.89 £2.14

4.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 £2.38

$3.79 £2.81

-15.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.80 £1.33

10.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.17

$1.45 £1.07

8.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.26 £0.93

-6.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.65 £1.22

-1.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.88 £17.71

$22.68 £16.82

5.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 £8.32

$11.06 £8.20

1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 £2.40

$2.68 £1.99

20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 £2.60

$3.01 £2.23

16.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 £2.96

$4.11 £3.05

-2.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £79.8

$120 £89.2

-10.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.97 £4.43

$4.03 £2.99

48.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 £1.34

$2.42 £1.80

-25.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.8 £46.55

$24.49 £18.16

156.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.57

$2.17 £1.61

-2.76%

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

$39.3K £29.1K

$38.1K £28.3K

3.01%

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

$40.3K £29.9K

$40.7K £30.1K

-0.80%

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

$331 £246

$402 £298

-17.53%

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

$19.71 £14.62

$28.26 £20.96

-30.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.28 £32.09

$42.43 £31.47

2.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.36 £26.96

$48.03 £35.62

-24.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.58 £15.26

$22.14 £16.42

-7.05%

Cinema Ticket

$15.81 £11.72

$11.47 £8.50

37.84%

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

$1,107 £821

$1,839 £1,364

-39.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.8K

$23.7K £17.6K

-4.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 £100

$97.4 £72.2

38.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.59 £34.55

$48.27 £35.80

-3.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.0

$103 £76.4

2.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 £67.5

$114 £84.7

-20.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 £1,026

$852 £632

62.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 £782

$788 £584

33.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,788 £2,067

$1,649 £1,223

69.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 £1,559

$1,593 £1,181

32.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,120 £3,056

$2,635 £1,954

56.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,954 £2,191

$3,197 £2,371

-7.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,437 £2,549

$4,053 £3,005

-15.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.11

-6.65%

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

Last update for Glasgow: November 1, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1.1K 42.8%

Aberdeen

$788 34.3% 25.3% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$394 16%

Aberdeen

$472 20.6% 19.8% $78

Eating Out

Glasgow

$324 13.2%

Aberdeen

$321 14% 0.9% $2.8

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$314 12.7%

Aberdeen

$325 14.2% 3.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 6.9%

Aberdeen

$163 7.1% 4% $6.8

Getting Around

Glasgow

$139 5.6%

Aberdeen

$153 6.7% 10.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$68 2.8%

Aberdeen

$71 3.1% 4.4% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,383 in Glasgow versus $852 in Aberdeen. 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 18% higher in Aberdeen, 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 $66 in Glasgow versus $102 in Aberdeen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $325 – making Glasgow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

229,060

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Glasgow Aberdeen 190 km

From you

Glasgow
Aberdeen

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

Glasgow vs Aberdeen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Glasgow costs about 7% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,694 per month in Glasgow and $3,439 in Aberdeen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aberdeen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $852 there versus $1,383 in Glasgow.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,463 in Glasgow and $2,292 in Aberdeen. That makes Aberdeen about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Glasgow. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,463 in Glasgow and $2,292 in Aberdeen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aberdeen costs $2,292 versus $2,463 in Glasgow. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.