Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Portsmouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,765 in Portsmouth, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portsmouth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth
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Portsmouth Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Portsmouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,765

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Portsmouth

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,765 in Portsmouth, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Portsmouth $2,765

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $3,781 in Portsmouth, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Portsmouth $3,781

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $4,798 in Portsmouth, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Portsmouth $4,798

Glasgow is about 12% cheaper than Portsmouth.

Both Glasgow and Portsmouth sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Portsmouth by 103%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.90

$20.08 £15.00

5.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.2

$66.5 £49.64

1.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.90

$10.54 £7.87

0.38%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.60

$4.78 £3.57

0.63%

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

$2.26 £1.69

$2.74 £2.05

-17.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.31 £1.73

-20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.09

$6.28 £4.69

-12.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.96

$5.85 £4.37

13.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.39 £1.04

20.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.61 £1.20

1.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$3.67 £2.74

-45.50%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$3.46 £2.58

15.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.93

$13.49 £10.07

-31.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.79

$8.16 £6.09

11.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.52

$13.18 £9.85

27.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$3.89 £2.91

-22.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.93 £1.45

-21.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.18

$2.92 £2.18

-0.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.38

$3.38 £2.52

-5.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.67 £1.25

15.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.67 £1.25

-7.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.84

$1.21 £0.90

-6.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.47 £1.10

7.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.90

$22.69 £16.95

5.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.46

$11.13 £8.32

1.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.51

$3.13 £2.34

7.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.49

$2.16 £1.61

54.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.98

$3.94 £2.94

1.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.7

$86.3 £64.5

25.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.30

$5.31 £3.97

8.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.54 £1.15

-25.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.28

$19.93 £14.89

204.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

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

$39.3K £29.3K

$38.5K £28.8K

1.97%

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

$40.6K £30.4K

$41.1K £30.7K

-1.10%

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

$312 £233

$661 £494

-52.72%

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

$20.29 £15.16

$15.19 £11.35

33.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.41

$43.05 £32.16

-2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £27.87

$34.53 £25.80

8.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.49

$17.24 £12.88

20.24%

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.15

$10.80 £8.07

50.56%

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

$1,124 £840

$1,602 £1,197

-29.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.1K

$20.0K £15.0K

7.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £98.6

$91.2 £68.1

44.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.22

$39.80 £29.74

15.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £79.7

$100 £75.0

6.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £69.8

$119 £89.2

-21.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,022

$1,493 £1,115

-8.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £782

$1,092 £816

-4.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,069

$2,146 £1,603

29.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,554

$1,669 £1,247

24.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,014

$4,574 £3,417

-11.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,183

$3,680 £2,749

-20.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,494

$3,397 £2,537

-1.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.16

-7.17%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Portsmouth

$1.1K 39.5% 4.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Portsmouth

$719 26% 91.9% $344

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Portsmouth

$313 11.3% 1.2% $3.8

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Portsmouth

$312 11.3% 0.4% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Portsmouth

$158 5.7% 7.2% $12

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Portsmouth

$115 4.2% 15% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Portsmouth

$56 2% 19.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow versus $1,493 in Portsmouth. 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 $66 in Portsmouth. Groceries tell a different story – $311 in Glasgow vs $312 in Portsmouth – so Glasgow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Portsmouth

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

198,974

💱 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 Portsmouth 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portsmouth costs about 14% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $4,147 in Portsmouth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,368 in Glasgow and $1,493 in Portsmouth. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $1,602 in Portsmouth. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,425 in Glasgow and $2,765 in Portsmouth. That makes Glasgow about 12% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Portsmouth has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,425 in Glasgow to $2,765 in Portsmouth. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.