Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Manchester

For one person, living costs are similar in Glasgow and in Manchester: $2,425 and $2,544 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
Learn more

Glasgow Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
Learn more

Manchester Living Index

Jump to prices

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Manchester

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,544 in Manchester, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Manchester $2,544

A couple spends around $3,641 per month in Glasgow vs $3,691 in Manchester, rent included.

Glasgow $3,641
Manchester $3,691

A family of three spends $4,856 per month in Glasgow vs $4,839 in Manchester, rent included.

Glasgow $4,856
Manchester $4,839

Glasgow is about 5% cheaper than Manchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Glasgow and Manchester sit above the global median – Glasgow by 80%, Manchester by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.32 £15.99

$19.64 £14.74

8.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.5 £53.6

$87.7 £65.8

-18.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 £7.82

$10.47 £7.85

-0.48%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.85 £3.64

-0.82%

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

$2.15 £1.61

$2.49 £1.87

-13.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.68 £1.26

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.32 £3.99

$7.75 £5.81

-31.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 £4.89

$6.72 £5.04

-2.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.43 £1.07

13.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.94 £1.45

-17.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.87 £1.40

4.81%

Eggs

$3.80 £2.85

$3.97 £2.98

-4.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 £6.92

$9.40 £7.05

-1.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 £6.78

$9.02 £6.77

0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 £12.52

$15.39 £11.55

8.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.33

$3.09 £2.32

0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.58 £1.19

-1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 £2.21

$3.03 £2.28

-2.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.37 £2.52

-5.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.56 £1.17

26.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.36 £1.02

18.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.20 £0.90

-4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.27 £0.95

24.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.19 £17.40

$23.80 £17.85

-2.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.17

$11.11 £8.34

-2.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.50 £1.88

28.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 £2.54

$3.12 £2.34

8.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.31 £3.23

$2.67 £2.00

61.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £77.4

$104 £77.8

-0.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 £4.25

$4.51 £3.39

25.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 £0.85

$2.18 £1.64

-48.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 £45.34

$29.56 £22.18

104.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.11 £1.58

1.42%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$37.5K £28.1K

2.95%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$40.3K £30.2K

0.39%

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

$313 £235

$250 £188

25.06%

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

$20.21 £15.16

$16.38 £12.29

23.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.75 £31.32

$40.35 £30.27

3.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 £34.29

$55.5 £41.65

-17.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 £15.00

$18.33 £13.75

9.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 £11.82

$13.11 £9.84

20.21%

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

$903 £677

$1,240 £930

-27.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K £16.3K

$19.5K £14.6K

11.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 £99.7

$84.5 £63.4

57.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.40 £34.81

$41.39 £31.05

12.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$91.6 £68.7

16.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 £67.0

$103 £77.6

-13.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 £988

$1,827 £1,371

-27.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 £787

$1,267 £950

-17.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 £2,060

$3,044 £2,284

-9.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 £1,448

$1,983 £1,488

-2.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,110 £3,083

$4,537 £3,403

-9.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,011 £2,259

$4,324 £3,244

-30.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,323 £2,493

$3,329 £2,498

-0.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.82

-0.62%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 13, 2026

Last update for Manchester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.3%

Manchester

$1.3K 49.8% 20.7% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Manchester

$307 12.1% 18.1% $68

Eating Out

Glasgow

$315 13%

Manchester

$316 12.4% 0.2% $0.7

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$308 12.7%

Manchester

$299 11.8% 3.1% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$169 7%

Manchester

$144 5.7% 14.5% $24

Getting Around

Glasgow

$132 5.4%

Manchester

$130 5.1% 1.4% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$77 3.2%

Manchester

$82 3.2% 5.8% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,317 in Glasgow versus $1,827 in Manchester. 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 0% higher in Manchester, 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 $71.0 in Glasgow versus $88.0 in Manchester. Groceries tell a different story – $308 in Glasgow vs $299 in Manchester – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Manchester

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

503,100

💱 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 Manchester 290 km

From you

Glasgow
Manchester

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 Manchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,544 in Manchester – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,638 per month in Glasgow and $3,816 in Manchester. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $903 per month in Glasgow and $1,240 in Manchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Manchester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Glasgow, where all-in costs run around $2,425, than in Manchester at $2,544. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Manchester has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,425 in Glasgow to $2,544 in Manchester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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