Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Durham

For one person, living is cheaper in Durham: $2,073 a month against $2,386 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,386

/mo nomad

Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Durham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,386 in Glasgow versus $2,073 in Durham.

Glasgow $2,386
Durham $2,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,604 in Glasgow versus $3,286 in Durham.

Glasgow $3,604
Durham $3,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,823 in Glasgow versus $4,498 in Durham.

Glasgow $4,823
Durham $4,498

Living in Glasgow is roughly 15% more expensive than in Durham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Glasgow 78% above, Durham 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.99 £15.87

$19.57 £14.79

7.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 £55.6

$93.4 £70.6

-21.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 £7.98

$11.40 £8.62

-7.46%

Cappuccino

$4.87 £3.68

$4.56 £3.45

6.80%

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

$2.13 £1.61

$2.54 £1.92

-16.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.04 £1.54

-15.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 £3.93

$6.08 £4.59

-14.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 £5.03

$5.33 £4.03

24.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.24

$1.95 £1.47

-15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 £1.18

$1.54 £1.17

1.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 £1.55

$3.03 £2.29

-32.34%

Eggs

$3.80 £2.88

$4.37 £3.30

-13.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 £6.93

$10.02 £7.57

-8.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 £6.81

$8.86 £6.69

1.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.66

$21.35 £16.14

-21.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.26

$2.93 £2.21

2.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.18

$2.53 £1.91

-38.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.24

$2.75 £2.08

7.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$5.08 £3.84

-38.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 £1.44

$1.56 £1.18

22.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.21

$1.70 £1.29

-5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.86

$1.06 £0.80

7.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.23

$1.88 £1.42

-13.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.66 £17.88

$23.61 £17.85

0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.42

$10.64 £8.04

4.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.48

$3.31 £2.50

-1.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 £2.59

$3.15 £2.38

8.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.08

$3.23 £2.44

26.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £78.1

$86.9 £65.7

18.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 £4.51

$6.39 £4.83

-6.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 £0.89

$1.93 £1.46

-39.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 £45.63

$23.68 £17.90

154.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.61

$1.88 £1.42

13.83%

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

$38.5K £29.1K

$37.8K £28.6K

1.78%

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

$40.4K £30.6K

$41.1K £31.1K

-1.59%

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

$309 £233

$265 £200

16.69%

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

$20.34 £15.38

$15.21 £11.50

33.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.92 £31.68

$42.95 £32.46

-2.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.96 £33.99

$46.78 £35.36

-3.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.43 £15.45

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 £12.02

$12.51 £9.45

27.10%

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

$897 £678

$1,300 £982

-30.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K £16.2K

$25.2K £19.1K

-15.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 £101

$106 £80.4

25.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.49 £35.14

$71.4 £54.0

-34.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.5

$114 £86.1

-6.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.6 £69.3

$97.2 £73.5

-5.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 £1,016

$1,539 £1,164

-12.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 £795

$743 £562

41.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 £2,051

$2,661 £2,012

1.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,955 £1,477

$1,565 £1,183

24.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 £3,030

$5,034 £3,805

-20.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 £2,302

$3,862 £2,920

-21.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,270 £2,472

$2,064 £1,560

58.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

5.18

-8.11%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 5, 2026

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1.1K 43.4%

Durham

$743 35.7% 29.4% $309

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$371 15.3%

Durham

$323 15.5% 13% $48

Eating Out

Glasgow

$313 12.9%

Durham

$305 14.6% 2.6% $8

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$308 12.7%

Durham

$348 16.7% 12.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Durham

$175 8.4% 2.9% $4.8

Getting Around

Glasgow

$131 5.4%

Durham

$116 5.6% 11.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$77 3.2%

Durham

$72 3.5% 6.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,345 in Glasgow and $1,539 in Durham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Glasgow pays 58% 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 $93.0 in Durham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $348 per month, with Glasgow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Durham

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

42,100

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Durham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Glasgow and Durham differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,386 vs $2,073 including rent). Durham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% 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 $1,539 in Durham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,386 per month in Glasgow versus $2,073 in Durham – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Durham runs roughly 19% less than in Glasgow. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,073 in Durham versus $2,386 in Glasgow, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Durham but tight or insufficient in Glasgow. The gap between the two cities makes Durham 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 Durham 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 Durham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Glasgow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.