Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Blackburn

For one person, living is cheaper in Blackburn: $2,051 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Blackburn
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Blackburn Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Blackburn

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Blackburn

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,051 in Blackburn, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Blackburn $2,051

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $3,022 in Blackburn, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Blackburn $3,022

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $3,994 in Blackburn, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Blackburn $3,994

Glasgow costs about 18% more than Blackburn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Glasgow and Blackburn sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Blackburn by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.97

$14.47 £10.85

47.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.4

$55.6 £41.75

20.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.94

$8.49 £6.37

24.62%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.07 £3.06

18.18%

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

$2.26 £1.69

$2.62 £1.97

-13.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.46 £1.10

25.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.11

$4.25 £3.19

28.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.98

$5.21 £3.91

27.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.50 £1.13

9.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$2.38 £1.79

-15.97%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.00

$3.65 £2.74

9.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.96

$10.77 £8.08

-13.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.82

$8.57 £6.43

5.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.57

$15.73 £11.80

6.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.27

$1.65 £1.24

83.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.64 £1.23

-7.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.19

$2.33 £1.75

24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.39

$3.03 £2.27

5.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.48 £1.11

30.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.51 £1.14

2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.85

$0.45 £0.34

151.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.70 £0.53

125.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.98

$20.06 £15.05

19.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.49

$9.40 £7.05

20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.53

$2.26 £1.69

49.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.50

$2.05 £1.54

62.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$2.73 £2.05

45.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £81.1

$74.4 £55.8

45.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.32

$2.72 £2.04

111.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.86

$2.07 £1.55

-44.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.48

$18.21 £13.67

232.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$2.02 £1.52

3.47%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

$38.9K £29.2K

1.00%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

0.01%

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

$312 £234

$246 £184

27.19%

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

$20.29 £15.22

$16.94 £12.71

19.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.55

$29.45 £22.10

42.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £28.00

$44.49 £33.38

-16.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.56

$12.03 £9.03

72.32%

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.20

$9.57 £7.18

69.91%

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

$1,124 £843

$1,052 £789

6.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.2K

$21.7K £16.3K

-0.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £99.0

$89.5 £67.2

47.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.37

$46.85 £35.16

-2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$88.9 £66.7

19.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £70.1

$69.1 £51.8

35.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,027

$1,213 £910

12.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £786

$954 £715

9.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,078

$1,873 £1,405

47.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,561

$1,655 £1,242

25.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,027

$5,107 £3,832

-21.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,193

$3,845 £2,885

-23.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,505

$2,155 £1,617

54.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.99

-4.01%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Last update for Blackburn: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Blackburn

$954 46.5% 9% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Blackburn

$292 14.2% 22.1% $83

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Blackburn

$238 11.6% 24.8% $79

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Blackburn

$273 13.3% 12.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Blackburn

$132 6.5% 22.1% $38

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Blackburn

$98 4.8% 27.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Blackburn

$64 3.1% 8.9% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow versus $1,213 in Blackburn. 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 55% higher in Glasgow. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Glasgow versus $56 in Blackburn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $273 – making Blackburn the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Blackburn

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

105,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Glasgow Blackburn 260 km

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Glasgow
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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

Glasgow vs Blackburn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,051 in Blackburn – Blackburn comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $3,076 in Blackburn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Blackburn, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,213 there versus $1,368 in Glasgow.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,425 in Glasgow and $2,051 in Blackburn. That makes Blackburn about 15% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Blackburn. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,425 in Glasgow and $2,051 in Blackburn, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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