Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Guildford

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $3,168 in Guildford, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
152

Cost of Living Index in Guildford
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Guildford Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

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Guildford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,168

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Guildford

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $3,168 in Guildford, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Guildford $3,168

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $4,474 in Guildford, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Guildford $4,474

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $5,779 in Guildford, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Guildford $5,779

Glasgow is about 23% cheaper than Guildford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Glasgow and Guildford sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Guildford by 133%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.90

$29.72 £22.20

-28.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.2

$93.3 £69.7

-27.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.90

$11.23 £8.39

-5.79%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.60

$5.04 £3.76

-4.56%

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

$2.26 £1.69

$2.71 £2.02

-16.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.56 £1.16

17.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.09

$8.56 £6.39

-35.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.96

$6.84 £5.11

-3.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.55 £1.15

7.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.33 £0.99

23.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.97 £1.47

1.52%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$4.36 £3.25

-8.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.93

$13.56 £10.13

-31.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.79

$10.24 £7.65

-11.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.52

$16.16 £12.07

3.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$3.54 £2.64

-14.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$2.12 £1.58

-28.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.18

$3.73 £2.79

-21.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.38

$5.43 £4.05

-41.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.44 £1.08

7.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.84

$1.15 £0.86

-1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.48 £1.11

6.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.90

$24.07 £17.98

-0.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.46

$11.95 £8.93

-5.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.51

$2.50 £1.86

34.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.49

$3.06 £2.29

8.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.98

$3.13 £2.34

27.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.7

$94.2 £70.4

14.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.30

$4.60 £3.44

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.85

$2.02 £1.51

-43.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.28

$40.80 £30.48

48.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$2.04 £1.52

2.45%

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

$39.3K £29.3K

$39.2K £29.3K

0.28%

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

$40.6K £30.4K

$41.1K £30.7K

-1.17%

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

$312 £233

$398 £297

-21.44%

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

$20.29 £15.16

$20.59 £15.38

-1.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.41

$46.34 £34.62

-9.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £27.87

$51.7 £38.62

-27.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.49

$23.05 £17.22

-10.07%

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.15

$10.51 £7.85

54.71%

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

$1,124 £840

$2,390 £1,786

-52.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.1K

$24.5K £18.3K

-11.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £98.6

$111 £82.8

19.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.22

$66.8 £49.90

-31.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £79.7

$118 £88.1

-9.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £69.8

$127 £95.0

-26.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,022

$1,946 £1,454

-29.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £782

$1,573 £1,175

-33.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,069

$2,908 £2,173

-4.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,554

$2,363 £1,765

-11.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,014

$7,969 £5,953

-49.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,183

$6,803 £5,083

-57.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,494

$3,678 £2,748

-9.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.13

-6.63%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Last update for Guildford: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Guildford

$1.6K 49.7% 50.2% $526

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Guildford

$465 14.7% 24% $90

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Guildford

$405 12.8% 28% $89

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Guildford

$340 10.7% 9.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Guildford

$190 6% 11.9% $20

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Guildford

$121 3.8% 10.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Guildford

$73 2.3% 4.1% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow versus $1,946 in Guildford. 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 10% higher in Guildford, 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 in Glasgow versus $93 in Guildford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $340 – making Glasgow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Guildford

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

66,773

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Glasgow Guildford 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
Guildford

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 Guildford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $3,168 in Guildford – Glasgow comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $4,752 in Guildford. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,368 there versus $1,946 in Guildford.

Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $2,390 in Guildford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Guildford, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Glasgow, where all-in costs run around $2,425, than in Guildford at $3,168. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guildford 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.

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