Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Kirkwall

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkwall: $2,121 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
Learn more

Glasgow Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
Learn more

Kirkwall Living Index

Jump to prices

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Kirkwall

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Kirkwall $2,121

A couple spends around $3,644 per month in Glasgow vs $3,026 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Glasgow $3,644
Kirkwall $3,026

A family of three spends $4,864 per month in Glasgow vs $3,931 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Glasgow $4,864
Kirkwall $3,931

Glasgow costs about 14% more than Kirkwall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Glasgow and Kirkwall sit above the global median – Glasgow by 79%, Kirkwall by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.03 £15.78

$23.63 £17.73

-11.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 £50.1

$94.8 £71.1

-29.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 £7.92

$10.57 £7.93

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.59

$3.92 £2.94

21.94%

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

$2.27 £1.70

$3.26 £2.44

-30.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.31 £0.98

45.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 £4.08

$6.20 £4.65

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.07

$8.47 £6.36

-20.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.24

$0.79 £0.59

108.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.58 £1.19

6.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 £1.49

$2.05 £1.54

-3.41%

Eggs

$3.93 £2.95

$3.22 £2.42

22.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 £6.93

$6.59 £4.95

40.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.97

$8.97 £6.73

3.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 £12.62

$15.90 £11.92

5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.20 £1.65

35.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.97 £1.48

-24.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.17

$1.57 £1.18

84.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 £2.42

$1.32 £0.99

143.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.11 £0.83

77.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.09 £0.82

45.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.89

$0.77 £0.58

54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.08 £0.81

51.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.76

$20.10 £15.08

17.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$9.18 £6.89

21.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.71 £2.03

25.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 £2.58

$2.88 £2.16

19.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$10.51 £7.89

-61.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £77.5

$107 £80.4

-3.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 £4.52

$5.19 £3.90

16.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 £0.87

$2.58 £1.93

-55.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.0 £46.48

$27.06 £20.30

128.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 £1.62

$2.05 £1.54

4.88%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

$37.8K £28.4K

3.74%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$41.2K £30.9K

-3.61%

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

$315 £236

$282 £212

11.39%

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

$20.19 £15.15

$30.12 £22.60

-32.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.28 £32.47

$33.04 £24.79

30.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.26 £34.71

$41.73 £31.31

10.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 £15.26

Cinema Ticket

$16.23 £12.17

$11.46 £8.60

41.62%

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

$905 £679

$1,237 £928

-26.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 £102

$91.5 £68.7

47.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 £34.75

$43.72 £32.80

5.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.9

$95.0 £71.3

13.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 £69.9

$138 £103

-32.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 £1,013

$935 £701

44.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £778

$792 £594

30.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,680 £2,011

$1,182 £887

126.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 £1,456

$966 £725

101.01%

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

$1,914 £1,436

78.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.07

-5.52%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 42.8%

Kirkwall

$792 37.3% 23.6% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$378 15.6%

Kirkwall

$346 16.3% 8.6% $32

Eating Out

Glasgow

$315 13%

Kirkwall

$334 15.8% 6.2% $19

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$313 12.9%

Kirkwall

$252 11.9% 19.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$172 7.1%

Kirkwall

$165 7.8% 3.9% $6.7

Getting Around

Glasgow

$131 5.4%

Kirkwall

$167 7.9% 27.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$79 3.3%

Kirkwall

$65 3.1% 17.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in Glasgow versus $935 in Kirkwall. 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 79% 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 $95.0 in Kirkwall. Groceries tell a different story – $313 in Glasgow vs $252 in Kirkwall – so Kirkwall wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

7,500

💱 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 Kirkwall 360 km

From you

Glasgow
Kirkwall

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 Kirkwall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,121 in Kirkwall – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $3,182 in Kirkwall. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $905 per month in Glasgow and $1,237 in Kirkwall. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Glasgow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kirkwall, where all-in costs run around $2,121, than in Glasgow at $2,425. In Kirkwall 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 $2,121 in Kirkwall 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 Kirkwall. 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.