Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Exeter

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,571 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Exeter outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Glasgow, United Kingdom
Exeter, United Kingdom
Glasgow
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,425
/mo nomad
Exeter
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,571
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Exeter

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow versus $2,571 in Exeter.

  • Glasgow $2,425
  • Exeter $2,571

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,706 in Glasgow versus $3,846 in Exeter.

  • Glasgow $3,706
  • Exeter $3,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,987 in Glasgow versus $5,121 in Exeter.

  • Glasgow $4,987
  • Exeter $5,121

Living in Glasgow costs roughly 6% less than in Exeter, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Glasgow 78% above, Exeter 89% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Glasgow
Exeter
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.28 £15.90
$19.92 £14.88
6.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.2 £50.2
$97.8 £73.1
-31.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.58 £7.90
$9.57 £7.15
10.55%
Cappuccino
$4.81 £3.59
$4.96 £3.70
-3.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 £1.69
$3.17 £2.37
-28.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 £1.37
$2.51 £1.87
-27.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.48 £4.09
$7.45 £5.57
-26.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.63 £4.95
$6.16 £4.60
7.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Glasgow
Exeter
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 £1.25
$1.52 £1.14
9.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 £1.22
$1.68 £1.26
-2.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.00 £1.50
$1.78 £1.33
12.36%
Eggs
$4.00 £2.98
$4.30 £3.21
-6.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.28 £6.93
$8.70 £6.50
6.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.08 £6.78
$8.71 £6.51
4.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.75 £12.51
$23.73 £17.73
-29.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 £2.26
$3.12 £2.33
-3.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 £1.13
$1.43 £1.07
5.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 £2.18
$2.32 £1.74
25.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.19 £2.38
$3.19 £2.38
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 £1.44
$2.27 £1.70
-14.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.55 £1.16
$1.97 £1.47
-21.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 £0.84
$1.61 £1.20
-29.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 £1.18
$1.95 £1.45
-18.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.96 £17.90
$23.49 £17.54
2.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.32 £8.45
$9.54 £7.13
18.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.37 £2.51
$3.74 £2.80
-9.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.33 £2.49
$4.42 £3.30
-24.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Glasgow
Exeter
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.98 £2.97
$3.92 £2.93
1.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$108 £80.7
$112 £83.6
-3.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.75 £4.30
$5.75 £4.29
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.14 £0.85
$2.53 £1.89
-54.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.6 £45.27
$23.92 £17.86
153.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 £1.56
$2.04 £1.53
2.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.3K £29.3K
$38.7K £28.9K
1.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.3K
$40.1K £30.0K
1.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Glasgow
Exeter
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$312 £233
$469 £350
-33.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.29 £15.15
$15.97 £11.93
27.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.05 £31.41
$47.00 £35.10
-10.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Glasgow
Exeter
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 £27.87
$39.72 £29.66
-6.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.73 £15.48
$13.18 £9.84
57.28%
Cinema Ticket
$16.26 £12.14
$12.62 £9.43
28.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Glasgow
Exeter
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,124 £840
$2,180 £1,628
-48.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.6K £16.1K
$17.6K £13.2K
22.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Glasgow
Exeter
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$132 £98.6
$68.0 £50.8
94.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.81 £34.21
$31.16 £23.27
47.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 £79.6
$105 £78.7
1.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.4 £69.8
$74.2 £55.4
25.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Glasgow
Exeter
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,368 £1,022
$1,381 £1,031
-0.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,047 £782
$1,050 £784
-0.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,770 £2,069
$2,160 £1,613
28.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,080 £1,553
$1,946 £1,454
6.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,035 £3,013
$5,743 £4,289
-29.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,923 £2,183
$4,565 £3,409
-35.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Glasgow
Exeter
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,339 £2,494
$3,062 £2,287
9.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.79
5.11
-6.26%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Glasgow
$1K
Exeter
$1K 0.2% $2.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Glasgow
$375
Exeter
$532 41.8% $157
Eating Out
Glasgow
$317
Exeter
$320 1% $3.1
Groceries & Markets
Glasgow
$311
Exeter
$334 7.4% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Glasgow
$170
Exeter
$125 26.2% $45
Getting Around
Glasgow
$135
Exeter
$146 7.9% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Glasgow
$70
Exeter
$65 7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,368 in Glasgow and $1,381 in Exeter. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Glasgow pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Glasgow vs $98 in Exeter for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $334 per month, with Glasgow cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Glasgow
🇬🇧 Exeter
🕒 Local time
22:26 10:26 PM
22:26 10:26 PM
Same time as Glasgow
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
606,340
130,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Glasgow Exeter 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Glasgow
  • Exeter

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 Exeter: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Glasgow and in Exeter?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,425 in Glasgow and $2,571 in Exeter, so Glasgow is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Glasgow or Exeter?
Average pay runs 9% higher in Glasgow, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Glasgow and in Exeter?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,368 in Glasgow versus $1,381 in Exeter. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Glasgow – a meal for two runs $67 versus $98 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Glasgow or Exeter?
All in, you’ll spend $2,425 per month in Glasgow versus $2,571 in Exeter – Glasgow is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $3,000 go in Glasgow compared to Exeter?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Glasgow gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Glasgow and Exeter?
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.

Glasgow vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?