Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Harlow

For one person, living costs are similar in Glasgow and in Harlow: $2,425 and $2,330 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Harlow

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,330 in Harlow, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Harlow $2,330

A couple spends around $3,644 per month in Glasgow vs $3,407 in Harlow, rent included.

Glasgow $3,644
Harlow $3,407

A family of three spends $4,864 per month in Glasgow vs $4,483 in Harlow, rent included.

Glasgow $4,864
Harlow $4,483

Glasgow costs about 4% more than Harlow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Glasgow and Harlow sit above the global median – Glasgow by 79%, Harlow by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.03 £15.78

$21.01 £15.76

0.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 £50.1

$91.7 £68.8

-27.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 £7.92

$10.47 £7.86

0.86%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.59

$5.47 £4.11

-12.61%

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

$2.27 £1.70

$2.63 £1.97

-13.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.85 £1.39

2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 £4.08

$6.81 £5.11

-20.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.07

$6.87 £5.15

-1.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.30 £0.98

26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.41 £1.06

19.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 £1.49

$1.11 £0.84

78.38%

Eggs

$3.93 £2.95

$2.38 £1.79

65.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 £6.93

$6.83 £5.12

35.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.97

$6.05 £4.54

53.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 £12.62

$6.45 £4.84

160.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.05 £1.54

45.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.23 £0.92

21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.17

$1.15 £0.87

151.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.02 £1.52

59.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.63 £1.22

20.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.34 £1.01

18.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.89

$1.34 £1.01

-11.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.43 £1.07

14.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.76

$21.29 £15.97

11.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$9.33 £7.00

19.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.70 £2.02

25.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 £2.58

$2.04 £1.53

68.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.73 £2.04

49.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £77.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 £4.52

$5.84 £4.38

3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.68 £1.26

-30.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.0 £46.48

$21.15 £15.87

192.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 £1.62

$1.92 £1.44

11.98%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

$39.0K £29.2K

0.72%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$40.1K £30.1K

-1.18%

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

$315 £236

$226 £169

39.27%

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

$20.19 £15.15

$11.95 £8.97

68.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.28 £32.47

$28.54 £21.41

51.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.26 £34.71

$47.10 £35.34

-1.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 £15.26

$8.06 £6.05

152.36%

Cinema Ticket

$16.23 £12.17

$12.56 £9.42

29.22%

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

$905 £679

$1,061 £796

-14.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.2K

$19.7K £14.8K

9.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 £102

$68.8 £51.6

96.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 £34.75

$32.19 £24.15

43.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.9

$77.0 £57.8

40.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 £69.9

$39.33 £29.51

136.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 £1,013

$1,403 £1,053

-3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £778

$1,328 £996

-21.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,680 £2,011

$2,276 £1,708

17.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 £1,456

$2,182 £1,637

-11.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,064 £3,049

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,073 £2,306

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,420 £2,566

$3,013 £2,260

13.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.91

-2.44%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 19, 2026

Last update for Harlow: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 42.8%

Harlow

$1.3K 57% 28.1% $291

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$378 15.6%

Harlow

$266 11.4% 29.5% $112

Eating Out

Glasgow

$315 13%

Harlow

$331 14.2% 5.1% $16

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$313 12.9%

Harlow

$210 9% 32.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$172 7.1%

Harlow

$98 4.2% 43.2% $74

Getting Around

Glasgow

$131 5.4%

Harlow

$25 * 1.1% 80.9% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$79 3.3%

Harlow

$72 3.1% 8.3% $6.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in Glasgow versus $1,403 in Harlow. 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 14% higher in Glasgow, 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 $92.0 in Harlow. Groceries tell a different story – $313 in Glasgow vs $210 in Harlow – so Harlow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Harlow

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

86,191

💱 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 Harlow 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
Harlow

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 Harlow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,330 in Harlow – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $3,495 in Harlow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,425 in Glasgow and $2,330 in Harlow. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $905 per month in Glasgow and $1,061 in Harlow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Harlow, where all-in costs run around $2,330, than in Glasgow at $2,425. In Harlow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glasgow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Glasgow has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,330 in Harlow to $2,425 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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