Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Southampton

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,655 in Southampton, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Southampton

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,655 in Southampton, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Southampton $2,655

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $3,818 in Southampton, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Southampton $3,818

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $4,981 in Southampton, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Southampton $4,981

Glasgow is about 9% cheaper than Southampton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Glasgow and Southampton sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Southampton by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.87

$26.76 £19.95

-20.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.1

$89.6 £66.8

-24.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.88

$11.12 £8.29

-4.86%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.59

$5.43 £4.05

-11.42%

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

$2.26 £1.68

$2.98 £2.22

-24.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.36

$2.24 £1.67

-18.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.09

$7.46 £5.56

-26.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.95

$6.75 £5.03

-1.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.99 £1.49

-16.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.72 £1.28

-4.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.49

$3.04 £2.27

-34.21%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.98

$4.42 £3.29

-9.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.92

$9.84 £7.34

-5.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.77

$9.68 £7.21

-6.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.49

$14.44 £10.76

16.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.25

$2.86 £2.13

5.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.75 £1.31

-13.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.17

$2.84 £2.12

2.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.38

$3.39 £2.53

-5.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.84 £1.37

4.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.58 £1.18

-1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.84

$1.21 £0.90

-6.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.82 £1.36

-13.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.86

$21.33 £15.91

12.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.44

$11.13 £8.30

1.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.51

$2.96 £2.20

13.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.48

$3.40 £2.54

-2.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$3.32 £2.47

19.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.5

$78.1 £58.2

38.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.29

$4.31 £3.22

33.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.95 £1.46

-41.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.19

$32.03 £23.88

89.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$2.16 £1.61

-3.24%

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

$39.3K £29.3K

$38.2K £28.5K

2.81%

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

$40.6K £30.3K

$40.9K £30.5K

-0.66%

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

$312 £233

$327 £244

-4.44%

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

$20.29 £15.13

$29.33 £21.87

-30.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.35

$53.3 £39.71

-21.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £27.82

$37.74 £28.14

-1.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.46

$16.78 £12.51

23.54%

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.12

$15.96 £11.90

1.88%

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

$1,124 £838

$1,886 £1,406

-40.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.1K

$18.3K £13.7K

17.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £98.4

$106 £78.9

24.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.15

$51.4 £38.28

-10.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £79.5

$102 £76.3

4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £69.6

$131 £97.5

-28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,020

$1,520 £1,133

-9.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £781

$1,190 £887

-11.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,065

$2,360 £1,760

17.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,551

$1,812 £1,351

14.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,008

$5,632 £4,199

-28.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,179

$4,849 £3,616

-39.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,489

$3,372 £2,514

-0.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.96

-3.43%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Last update for Southampton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Southampton

$1.2K 44.8% 13.6% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Southampton

$410 15.4% 9.3% $35

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Southampton

$384 14.5% 21.3% $67

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Southampton

$320 12.1% 3.1% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Southampton

$176 6.6% 3.3% $5.6

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Southampton

$105 4% 22.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Southampton

$70 2.6% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow versus $1,520 in Southampton. 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 $90 in Southampton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $320 – making Glasgow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Southampton

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

228,600

💱 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 Southampton 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
Southampton

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 Southampton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,655 in Southampton – Glasgow 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 $3,982 in Southampton. 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 $1,520 in Southampton.

Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $1,886 in Southampton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Southampton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,425 in Glasgow and $2,655 in Southampton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Southampton has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,425 in Glasgow to $2,655 in Southampton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.