Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Reading

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,763 in Reading, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Reading
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Reading Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Reading

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Reading

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,763 in Reading, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Reading $2,763

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $4,013 in Reading, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Reading $4,013

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $5,264 in Reading, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Reading $5,264

Glasgow is about 12% cheaper than Reading, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.90

$27.16 £20.29

-21.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.2

$92.3 £68.9

-27.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.90

$10.43 £7.79

1.44%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.60

$4.98 £3.72

-3.41%

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

$2.26 £1.69

$2.89 £2.16

-21.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.78 £2.08

-34.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.09

$8.66 £6.47

-36.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.96

$6.48 £4.84

2.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.49 £1.11

12.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.75 £1.31

-6.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$2.93 £2.19

-31.74%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$3.73 £2.78

7.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.93

$11.34 £8.47

-18.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.79

$8.52 £6.37

6.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.52

$12.90 £9.64

29.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.98 £2.23

1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.47 £1.10

2.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.18

$2.91 £2.17

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.38

$3.21 £2.40

-0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.55 £1.16

24.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.40 £1.05

10.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.84

$0.92 £0.69

22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.50 £1.12

5.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.90

$24.01 £17.93

-0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.46

$13.89 £10.38

-18.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.51

$2.32 £1.74

45.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.49

$3.08 £2.30

8.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.98

$3.91 £2.92

1.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.7

$83.8 £62.6

28.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.30

$6.55 £4.89

-12.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.85

$4.58 £3.42

-75.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.28

$13.37 £9.99

353.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$2.00 £1.49

4.50%

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

$39.3K £29.3K

-0.02%

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

$40.6K £30.4K

$40.6K £30.3K

0.20%

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

$312 £233

$282 £211

10.66%

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

$20.29 £15.16

$20.55 £15.35

-1.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.41

$46.40 £34.66

-9.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £27.87

$44.80 £33.47

-16.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.49

$21.12 £15.78

-1.85%

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.15

$13.18 £9.84

23.37%

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

$1,124 £840

$1,905 £1,423

-40.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.1K

$29.2K £21.8K

-26.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £98.6

$74.5 £55.7

77.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.22

$67.7 £50.6

-32.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £79.7

$115 £85.6

-6.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £69.8

$109 £81.1

-13.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,022

$1,739 £1,299

-21.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £782

$1,361 £1,017

-23.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,069

$2,904 £2,170

-4.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,554

$2,165 £1,617

-3.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,014

$7,218 £5,392

-44.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,183

$5,527 £4,129

-47.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,494

$3,446 £2,575

-3.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

-4.20%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Last update for Reading: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Reading

$1.4K 49.3% 30% $314

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Reading

$349 12.6% 6.8% $25

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Reading

$387 14% 22.2% $70

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Reading

$300 10.9% 3.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Reading

$164 6% 3.3% $5.6

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Reading

$129 4.7% 4.8% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Reading

$71 2.6% 1.9% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow versus $1,739 in Reading. 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 3% higher in Reading, 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 in Glasgow versus $92 in Reading. Groceries tell a different story – $311 in Glasgow vs $300 in Reading – so Reading wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Reading

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

162,666

💱 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 Reading 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
Reading

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 Reading: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,763 in Reading – Glasgow comes out roughly 12% 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 $4,144 in Reading. 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 $1,739 in Reading.

Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $1,905 in Reading. 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 Reading – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Glasgow costs $2,425 versus $2,763 in Reading. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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