Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Kirkcaldy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkcaldy: $2,295 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
Learn more

Glasgow Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Kirkcaldy
Learn more

Kirkcaldy Living Index

Jump to prices

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Kirkcaldy

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,295

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Kirkcaldy

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,295 in Kirkcaldy, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Kirkcaldy $2,295

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $3,417 in Kirkcaldy, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Kirkcaldy $3,417

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $4,538 in Kirkcaldy, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Kirkcaldy $4,538

Glasgow costs about 6% more than Kirkcaldy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Glasgow and Kirkcaldy sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Kirkcaldy by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.90

$20.03 £14.96

6.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.2

$99.5 £74.3

-32.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.90

$10.50 £7.84

0.76%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.59

$4.79 £3.58

0.42%

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

$2.26 £1.69

$2.72 £2.03

-16.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.12 £1.59

-13.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.09

$7.20 £5.38

-23.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.95

$7.80 £5.82

-15.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.32 £0.98

26.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.77 £1.32

-7.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$2.02 £1.50

-0.99%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.98

$3.90 £2.91

2.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.93

$3.97 £2.96

133.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.78

$8.62 £6.44

5.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.51

$13.35 £9.97

25.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.28 £1.70

32.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.40 £1.05

7.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.18

$2.68 £2.00

8.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.38

$2.70 £2.02

18.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.36 £1.02

41.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.50 £1.12

3.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.84

$1.21 £0.91

-6.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.35 £1.00

17.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.90

$22.07 £16.48

8.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.45

$6.54 £4.88

73.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.51

$2.76 £2.06

22.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.49

$3.07 £2.29

8.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$3.51 £2.62

13.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.7

$95.6 £71.4

13.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.30

$4.06 £3.03

41.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.85

$2.45 £1.83

-53.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.27

$23.77 £17.75

154.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$2.15 £1.60

-2.79%

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

$39.3K £29.3K

$39.0K £29.1K

0.67%

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

$40.6K £30.3K

$39.8K £29.7K

2.13%

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

$312 £233

$251 £187

24.65%

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

$20.29 £15.15

$27.95 £20.87

-27.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.41

$42.54 £31.77

-1.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £27.87

$47.06 £35.14

-20.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.48

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.14

$11.56 £8.63

40.66%

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

$1,124 £840

$1,745 £1,303

-35.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.1K

$22.8K £17.0K

-5.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £98.6

$98.4 £73.5

34.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.21

$47.72 £35.64

-4.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £79.6

$106 £78.9

0.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £69.8

$116 £86.8

-19.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,022

$1,228 £917

11.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £782

$1,037 £775

0.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,069

$2,079 £1,552

33.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,553

$1,690 £1,262

23.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,013

$5,049 £3,771

-20.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,183

$3,925 £2,931

-25.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,494

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 Kirkcaldy: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Kirkcaldy

$1K 45.2% 1% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Kirkcaldy

$321 14% 14.3% $54

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Kirkcaldy

$320 14% 1.1% $3.4

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Kirkcaldy

$255 11.1% 18.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Kirkcaldy

$166 7.2% 2.6% $4.4

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Kirkcaldy

$126 5.5% 7% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Kirkcaldy

$70 3.1% 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow versus $1,228 in Kirkcaldy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Glasgow versus $100 in Kirkcaldy. Groceries tell a different story – $311 in Glasgow vs $255 in Kirkcaldy – so Kirkcaldy wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Kirkcaldy

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

59,784

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Glasgow Kirkcaldy 73 km

From you

Glasgow
Kirkcaldy

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 Kirkcaldy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,295 in Kirkcaldy – Kirkcaldy comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $3,442 in Kirkcaldy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kirkcaldy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,228 there versus $1,368 in Glasgow.

Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $1,745 in Kirkcaldy. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Glasgow, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,425 in Glasgow and $2,295 in Kirkcaldy, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Glasgow has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,295 in Kirkcaldy to $2,425 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.