Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,386 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
Learn more

Glasgow Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,386

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Athens

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 Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,386 in Glasgow versus $1,806 in Athens.

Glasgow $2,386
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,604 in Glasgow versus $2,731 in Athens.

Glasgow $3,604
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,823 in Glasgow versus $3,656 in Athens.

Glasgow $4,823
Athens $3,656

Living in Glasgow is roughly 32% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Glasgow 78% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.99 £15.87

$16.66 €14.85

25.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 £55.6

$66.2 €59.0

11.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 £7.98

$11.06 €9.86

-4.61%

Cappuccino

$4.87 £3.68

$4.14 €3.69

17.63%

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

$2.13 £1.61

$2.80 €2.50

-23.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.57 €0.51

203.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 £3.93

$5.64 €5.03

-7.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 £5.03

$5.46 €4.86

21.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.24

$1.96 €1.74

-16.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 £1.18

$1.41 €1.25

10.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 £1.55

$2.83 €2.53

-27.56%

Eggs

$3.80 £2.88

$5.04 €4.49

-24.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 £6.93

$15.35 €13.68

-40.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 £6.81

$10.34 €9.22

-12.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.66

$18.97 €16.92

-11.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.26

$2.17 €1.93

37.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.18

$1.91 €1.70

-18.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.24

$1.38 €1.23

114.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$2.20 €1.96

42.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 £1.44

$1.10 €0.98

73.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.21

$1.13 €1.00

41.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.86

$1.10 €0.98

3.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.23

$0.83 €0.74

96.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.66 £17.88

$5.60 €4.99

322.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.42

$10.19 €9.08

9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.48

$2.18 €1.95

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 £2.59

$2.45 €2.18

39.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.08

$1.38 €1.23

194.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £78.1

$30.87 €27.52

234.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 £4.51

$4.37 €3.90

36.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 £0.89

$1.04 €0.93

12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 £45.63

$17.11 €15.26

252.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.61

$2.31 €2.06

-7.36%

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

$38.5K £29.1K

$28.0K €24.9K

37.65%

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

$40.4K £30.6K

$28.0K €25.0K

44.38%

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

$309 £233

$210 €187

47.16%

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

$20.34 £15.38

$26.70 €23.80

-23.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.92 £31.68

$30.13 €26.86

39.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.96 £33.99

$54.6 €48.68

-17.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.43 £15.45

$26.03 €23.21

-21.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 £12.02

$10.78 €9.61

47.50%

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

$897 £678

$575 €513

56.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K £16.2K

$13.1K €11.7K

63.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 £101

$93.2 €83.1

43.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.49 £35.14

$40.68 €36.27

14.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.5

$104 €92.8

2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.6 £69.3

$128 €114

-28.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 £1,016

$756 €674

77.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 £795

$652 €582

61.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 £2,051

$1,294 €1,153

109.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,955 £1,477

$1,163 €1,037

68.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 £3,030

$4,008 €3,574

0.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 £2,302

$3,452 €3,078

-11.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,270 £2,472

$1,243 €1,109

163.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

4.48

6.25%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1.1K 43.4%

Athens

$652 36.5% 38% $400

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$371 15.3%

Athens

$267 14.9% 28.1% $104

Eating Out

Glasgow

$313 12.9%

Athens

$269 15% 14.1% $44

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$308 12.7%

Athens

$315 17.6% 2% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Athens

$165 9.2% 3.1% $5.3

Getting Around

Glasgow

$131 5.4%

Athens

$46 2.6% 65.1% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$77 3.2%

Athens

$76 4.3% 0.8% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,345 in Glasgow and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Glasgow pays 163% 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: $74.0 in Glasgow vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $315, with Glasgow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

01:27 1:27 AM

03:27 3:27 AM

2 h ahead of Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Glasgow Athens 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
Athens

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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Glasgow. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 163% higher in Glasgow, 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: $1,345 in Glasgow versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $74.0 in Glasgow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,386 per month in Glasgow versus $1,806 in Athens – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,386 in Glasgow, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Glasgow. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Glasgow and Athens 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Glasgow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.