Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Lisbon

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Lisbon $4,341

Glasgow costs about 10% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Glasgow and Lisbon sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.97

$16.65 €14.92

27.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.4

$61.7 €55.3

8.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.94

$11.36 €10.18

-6.87%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$2.97 €2.66

61.95%

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

$2.26 £1.69

$2.29 €2.05

-1.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.74 €1.56

5.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.11

$3.40 €3.05

61.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.98

$3.31 €2.97

100.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.16 €1.04

43.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.91 €1.71

-14.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.51 €1.36

32.45%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.00

$4.02 €3.60

-0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.96

$12.94 €11.59

-28.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.82

$7.77 €6.97

16.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.57

$17.76 €15.92

-5.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.27

$2.30 €2.06

31.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.73 €1.55

-12.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.19

$1.86 €1.66

56.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.39

$2.59 €2.32

23.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.82 €1.63

6.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.97 €1.76

-21.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.85

$1.47 €1.32

-23.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.72 €0.65

119.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.98

$6.58 €5.90

264.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.49

$5.61 €5.02

101.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.53

$1.36 €1.22

147.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.50

$2.14 €1.91

55.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$2.33 €2.09

70.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £81.1

$44.68 €40.04

141.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.32

$3.85 €3.45

49.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.86

$1.07 €0.96

6.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.48

$16.46 €14.75

268.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$2.20 €1.97

-5.00%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

14.87%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

4.92%

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

$312 £234

$161 €144

93.80%

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

$20.29 £15.22

$18.41 €16.50

10.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.55

$32.74 €29.34

28.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £28.00

$44.55 €39.92

-16.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.56

$19.10 €17.11

8.53%

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.20

$9.60 €8.60

69.38%

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

$1,124 £843

$668 €598

68.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

22.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £99.0

$102 €91.4

29.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.37

$44.46 €39.85

3.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$98.5 €88.3

8.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £70.1

$124 €111

-24.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,027

$1,608 €1,441

-14.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £786

$1,190 €1,066

-12.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,078

$2,812 €2,520

-1.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,561

$2,013 €1,804

3.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,027

$7,839 €7,025

-48.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,193

$4,576 €4,100

-36.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,505

$1,575 €1,411

111.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

3.85

24.42%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 13.6% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 43.3% $162

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 23.4% $74

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 12.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 2.4% $4.1

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 53.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 8.7% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Glasgow are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Glasgow versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Glasgow Lisbon 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon comes out roughly 9% 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 $3,315 in Lisbon. 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 $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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 $2,210 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,210 versus $2,425 in Glasgow. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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