Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Bristol

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,853 in Bristol, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Bristol
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Bristol Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Bristol

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Bristol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow versus $2,853 in Bristol.

Glasgow $2,425
Bristol $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,644 in Glasgow versus $4,195 in Bristol.

Glasgow $3,644
Bristol $4,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,864 in Glasgow versus $5,537 in Bristol.

Glasgow $4,864
Bristol $5,537

Living in Glasgow costs roughly 15% less than in Bristol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Glasgow 79% above, Bristol 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.03 £15.78

$23.72 £17.79

-11.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 £50.1

$115 £86.1

-41.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 £7.92

$10.54 £7.90

0.19%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.59

$5.23 £3.92

-8.60%

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

$2.27 £1.70

$2.66 £2.00

-14.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.77 £1.33

7.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 £4.08

$7.84 £5.88

-30.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.07

$6.83 £5.12

-1.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.53 £1.15

7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.64 £1.23

3.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 £1.49

$2.00 £1.50

-1.00%

Eggs

$3.93 £2.95

$4.27 £3.21

-7.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 £6.93

$8.15 £6.12

13.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.97

$9.55 £7.17

-2.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 £12.62

$12.84 £9.63

31.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$3.21 £2.41

-6.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.72 £1.29

-13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.17

$2.65 £1.98

9.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 £2.42

$4.06 £3.05

-20.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 £1.47

$2.03 £1.52

-2.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.53 £1.14

3.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.89

$1.26 £0.94

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.07 £1.55

-20.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.76

$23.02 £17.27

2.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$10.53 £7.90

5.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.82 £2.11

20.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 £2.58

$3.55 £2.66

-3.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.53 £2.65

15.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £77.5

$120 £89.9

-13.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 £4.52

$3.49 £2.62

72.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.63 £1.22

-28.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.0 £46.48

$27.14 £20.36

128.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 £1.62

$2.05 £1.54

4.88%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

-0.12%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$41.3K £31.0K

-4.02%

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

$315 £236

$317 £238

-0.79%

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

$20.19 £15.15

$17.00 £12.76

18.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.28 £32.47

$39.33 £29.51

10.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.26 £34.71

$49.53 £37.16

-6.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 £15.26

$11.77 £8.83

72.81%

Cinema Ticket

$16.23 £12.17

$15.31 £11.49

6.01%

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

$905 £679

$2,273 £1,705

-60.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.2K

$25.4K £19.0K

-14.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 £102

$101 £76.1

33.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 £34.75

$48.13 £36.10

-3.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.9

$106 £79.2

2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 £69.9

$99.1 £74.4

-6.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 £1,013

$1,907 £1,430

-29.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £778

$1,433 £1,075

-27.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,680 £2,011

$3,065 £2,300

-12.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 £1,456

$2,326 £1,745

-16.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,064 £3,049

$6,885 £5,165

-40.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,073 £2,306

$5,305 £3,980

-42.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,420 £2,566

$3,771 £2,829

-9.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.87

-1.64%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bristol: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 42.8%

Bristol

$1.4K 50.3% 38.3% $397

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$378 15.6%

Bristol

$373 13.1% 1.2% $4.6

Eating Out

Glasgow

$315 13%

Bristol

$355 12.4% 12.7% $40

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$313 12.9%

Bristol

$306 10.7% 2.2% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$172 7.1%

Bristol

$159 5.6% 7.4% $13

Getting Around

Glasgow

$131 5.4%

Bristol

$146 5.1% 10.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$79 3.3%

Bristol

$80 2.8% 1.8% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,350 in Glasgow and $1,907 in Bristol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol pays 10% 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: $67.0 in Glasgow vs $115 in Bristol. Groceries flip the comparison at $313 vs $306, with Bristol cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Bristol

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

463,400

💱 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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Between locations

Glasgow Bristol 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Bristol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Glasgow and Bristol differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,425 vs $2,853 including rent). Glasgow is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Bristol. 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: $1,350 in Glasgow versus $1,907 in Bristol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bristol pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Glasgow – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $115 in Bristol. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,425 in Glasgow versus $2,853 in Bristol, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Glasgow but tight or insufficient in Bristol. The gap between the two cities makes Glasgow the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Glasgow and Bristol 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 Glasgow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Bristol. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.