Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Buckingham

For one person, living is cheaper in Buckingham: $2,219 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
Learn more

Glasgow Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Buckingham
Learn more

Buckingham Living Index

Jump to prices

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Buckingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Buckingham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow versus $2,219 in Buckingham.

Glasgow $2,425
Buckingham $2,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,641 in Glasgow versus $3,265 in Buckingham.

Glasgow $3,641
Buckingham $3,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,856 in Glasgow versus $4,311 in Buckingham.

Glasgow $4,856
Buckingham $4,311

Living in Glasgow is roughly 9% more expensive than in Buckingham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Glasgow 80% above, Buckingham 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.32 £15.99

$20.03 £15.03

6.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.5 £53.6

$78.9 £59.2

-9.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 £7.82

$10.44 £7.83

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.60 £3.45

4.57%

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

$2.15 £1.61

$2.05 £1.54

4.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.50 £1.12

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.32 £3.99

$5.45 £4.09

-2.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 £4.89

$4.52 £3.39

44.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.51 £1.13

7.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.77 £1.33

-9.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 £1.47

$2.82 £2.11

-30.50%

Eggs

$3.80 £2.85

$4.04 £3.03

-5.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 £6.92

$9.09 £6.82

1.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 £6.78

$7.72 £5.79

16.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 £12.52

$16.42 £12.32

1.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.33

$3.29 £2.47

-5.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.54 £1.16

1.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 £2.21

$2.80 £2.10

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.20 £2.40

-0.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.16 £0.87

70.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.73 £1.30

-6.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.29 £0.97

-10.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.35 £1.01

17.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.19 £17.40

$23.66 £17.75

-1.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.17

$10.10 £7.57

7.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$3.14 £2.36

2.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 £2.54

$2.28 £1.71

48.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.31 £3.23

$3.38 £2.53

27.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £77.4

$94.7 £71.1

8.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 £4.25

$4.18 £3.14

35.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 £0.85

$2.69 £2.02

-57.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 £45.34

$32.36 £24.28

86.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.04 £1.53

4.90%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.4K £28.8K

0.46%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$41.3K £31.0K

-1.99%

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

$313 £235

$200 £150

56.44%

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

$20.21 £15.16

$17.46 £13.10

15.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.75 £31.32

$43.68 £32.77

-4.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 £34.29

$45.77 £34.34

-0.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 £15.00

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 £11.82

$13.38 £10.04

17.79%

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

$903 £677

$1,464 £1,099

-38.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K £16.3K

$22.0K £16.5K

-1.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 £99.7

$84.3 £63.2

57.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.40 £34.81

$31.33 £23.50

48.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$73.7 £55.3

44.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 £67.0

$97.2 £72.9

-8.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 £988

$1,462 £1,097

-9.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 £787

$1,036 £777

1.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 £2,060

$2,105 £1,579

30.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 £1,448

$1,659 £1,244

16.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,110 £3,083

$5,081 £3,812

-19.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,011 £2,259

$3,819 £2,865

-21.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,323 £2,493

$4,447 £3,336

-25.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.06

-5.34%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 13, 2026

Last update for Buckingham: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.3%

Buckingham

$1K 46.7% 1.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Buckingham

$261 11.8% 30.3% $114

Eating Out

Glasgow

$315 13%

Buckingham

$297 13.4% 5.6% $18

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$308 12.7%

Buckingham

$297 13.4% 3.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$169 7%

Buckingham

$129 5.8% 23.7% $40

Getting Around

Glasgow

$132 5.4%

Buckingham

$126 5.7% 4.4% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$77 3.2%

Buckingham

$73 3.3% 6.1% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,317 in Glasgow and $1,462 in Buckingham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Glasgow vs $79.0 in Buckingham. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $297, with Buckingham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Buckingham

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

12,890

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Glasgow Buckingham 480 km

From you

Glasgow
Buckingham

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 Buckingham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Glasgow and Buckingham differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,425 vs $2,219 including rent). Buckingham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Buckingham. 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: $1,317 in Glasgow versus $1,462 in Buckingham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,425 per month in Glasgow versus $2,219 in Buckingham – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Buckingham runs roughly 9% less than in Glasgow. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,219 in Buckingham versus $2,425 in Glasgow, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buckingham but tight or insufficient in Glasgow. The gap between the two cities makes Buckingham 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.

Expats usually find Buckingham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Glasgow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.