Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $3,191 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Cambridge

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $3,191 in Cambridge, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Cambridge $3,191

A couple spends around $3,644 per month in Glasgow vs $4,509 in Cambridge, rent included.

Glasgow $3,644
Cambridge $4,509

A family of three spends $4,864 per month in Glasgow vs $5,827 in Cambridge, rent included.

Glasgow $4,864
Cambridge $5,827

Glasgow is about 24% cheaper than Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Glasgow and Cambridge sit above the global median – Glasgow by 79%, Cambridge by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.03 £15.78

$21.56 £16.17

-2.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 £50.1

$88.5 £66.4

-24.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 £7.92

$10.83 £8.12

-2.49%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.59

$4.49 £3.37

6.46%

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

$2.27 £1.70

$2.79 £2.09

-18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.88 £1.41

1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 £4.08

$7.90 £5.93

-31.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.07

$6.54 £4.91

3.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.64 £1.23

0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.79 £1.34

-5.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 £1.49

$2.49 £1.87

-20.48%

Eggs

$3.93 £2.95

$4.53 £3.40

-13.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 £6.93

$9.93 £7.45

-6.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.97

$9.43 £7.07

-1.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 £12.62

$15.44 £11.59

8.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.95 £2.22

1.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.73 £1.30

-13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.17

$3.70 £2.77

-21.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 £2.42

$3.39 £2.54

-5.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.84 £1.38

7.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.89 £1.42

-15.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.89

$1.24 £0.93

-4.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.95 £1.47

-15.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.76

$22.36 £16.77

5.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$10.97 £8.23

1.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.27 £2.45

3.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 £2.58

$4.15 £3.11

-17.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £77.5

$95.1 £71.3

8.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 £4.52

$7.76 £5.82

-22.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 £0.87

$2.70 £2.02

-57.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.0 £46.48

$50.9 £38.18

21.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 £1.62

$2.07 £1.55

3.86%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

$37.9K £28.4K

3.73%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$41.1K £30.8K

-3.43%

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

$315 £236

$345 £258

-8.67%

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

$20.19 £15.15

$18.37 £13.78

9.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.28 £32.47

$42.78 £32.10

1.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.26 £34.71

$65.4 £49.09

-29.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 £15.26

$20.63 £15.48

-1.41%

Cinema Ticket

$16.23 £12.17

$17.15 £12.86

-5.36%

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

$905 £679

$2,590 £1,943

-65.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.2K

$35.8K £26.9K

-39.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 £102

$90.4 £67.8

49.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 £34.75

$47.74 £35.82

-2.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.9

$91.4 £68.6

17.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 £69.9

$127 £95.5

-26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 £1,013

$2,115 £1,587

-36.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £778

$1,736 £1,302

-40.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,680 £2,011

$3,193 £2,396

-16.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 £1,456

$2,694 £2,021

-27.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,064 £3,049

$9,107 £6,832

-55.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,073 £2,306

$5,803 £4,353

-47.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,420 £2,566

$4,405 £3,305

-22.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.04

-4.96%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 42.8%

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4% 67.5% $699

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$378 15.6%

Cambridge

$406 12.7% 7.3% $28

Eating Out

Glasgow

$315 13%

Cambridge

$330 10.3% 4.9% $15

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$313 12.9%

Cambridge

$327 10.2% 4.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$172 7.1%

Cambridge

$161 5% 6.8% $12

Getting Around

Glasgow

$131 5.4%

Cambridge

$133 4.2% 0.9% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$79 3.3%

Cambridge

$100 3.1% 26.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in Glasgow versus $2,115 in Cambridge. 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 29% higher in Cambridge, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Glasgow versus $88.0 in Cambridge. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $327 – making Glasgow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

145,818

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Glasgow Cambridge 500 km

From you

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $4,787 in Cambridge. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Glasgow, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Glasgow and $88.0 in Cambridge. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,425 in Glasgow and $3,191 in Cambridge. That's a gap of about 32%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Glasgow, where all-in costs run around $2,425, than in Cambridge at $3,191. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cambridge it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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