Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Southend-on-Sea

For one person, living is cheaper in Southend-on-Sea: $2,289 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Glasgow despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Southend-on-Sea
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Southend-on-Sea Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

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Southend-on-Sea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,289

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Southend-on-Sea

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 Southend-on-Sea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Southend-on-Sea $2,289

A couple spends around $3,641 per month in Glasgow vs $3,534 in Southend-on-Sea, rent included.

Glasgow $3,641
Southend-on-Sea $3,534

A family of three spends $4,856 per month in Glasgow vs $4,779 in Southend-on-Sea, rent included.

Glasgow $4,856
Southend-on-Sea $4,779

Glasgow costs about 6% more than Southend-on-Sea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Glasgow and Southend-on-Sea sit above the global median – Glasgow by 80%, Southend-on-Sea by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.32 £15.99

$19.89 £14.92

7.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.5 £53.6

$83.2 £62.5

-14.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 £7.82

$9.17 £6.88

13.63%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$4.37 £3.28

10.07%

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

$2.15 £1.61

$2.65 £1.99

-18.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.91 £1.44

-5.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.32 £3.99

$7.05 £5.29

-24.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 £4.89

$4.64 £3.48

40.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.46 £1.10

10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.40 £1.05

15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.35 £1.01

45.19%

Eggs

$3.80 £2.85

$4.13 £3.10

-7.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 £6.92

$7.82 £5.87

17.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 £6.78

$6.51 £4.89

38.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 £12.52

$15.04 £11.28

10.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.33

$3.02 £2.26

2.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.35 £1.01

15.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 £2.21

$2.01 £1.51

46.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.40

$2.60 £1.95

22.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.78 £1.33

11.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.83 £1.37

-12.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$0.89 £0.67

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.58 £1.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.19 £17.40

$22.06 £16.55

5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.17

$10.13 £7.60

7.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$3.32 £2.49

-3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 £2.54

$3.29 £2.47

2.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.31 £3.23

$2.72 £2.04

58.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £77.4

$46.26 £34.70

122.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 £4.25

$5.77 £4.33

-1.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 £0.85

$2.70 £2.03

-58.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 £45.34

$48.18 £36.15

25.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.06 £1.54

3.88%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.1K £28.6K

1.24%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

-0.22%

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

$313 £235

$177 £133

76.94%

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

$20.21 £15.16

$18.31 £13.74

10.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.75 £31.32

$42.18 £31.65

-1.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 £34.29

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 £15.00

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 £11.82

$3.92 £2.94

302.04%

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

$903 £677

$1,959 £1,470

-53.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K £16.3K

$19.6K £14.7K

10.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 £99.7

$85.1 £63.8

56.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.40 £34.81

$46.31 £34.74

0.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$92.7 £69.6

15.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 £67.0

$105 £78.6

-14.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 £988

$1,359 £1,020

-3.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 £787

$1,247 £935

-15.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 £2,060

$2,334 £1,751

17.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 £1,448

$2,372 £1,780

-18.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,110 £3,083

$4,640 £3,481

-11.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,011 £2,259

$3,970 £2,978

-24.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,323 £2,493

$3,700 £2,776

-10.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.04

-4.96%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 13, 2026

Last update for Southend-on-Sea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.3%

Southend-on-Sea

$1.2K 54.5% 18.8% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Southend-on-Sea

$237 10.4% 36.7% $137

Eating Out

Glasgow

$315 13%

Southend-on-Sea

$302 13.2% 4.2% $13

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$308 12.7%

Southend-on-Sea

$271 11.8% 12.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$169 7%

Southend-on-Sea

$148 6.5% 12.4% $21

Getting Around

Glasgow

$132 5.4%

Southend-on-Sea

$76 3.3% 42% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$77 3.2%

Southend-on-Sea

$7.8 * 0.3% 89.8% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,317 in Glasgow versus $1,359 in Southend-on-Sea. 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 11% higher in Southend-on-Sea, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Glasgow versus $83.0 in Southend-on-Sea. Groceries tell a different story – $308 in Glasgow vs $271 in Southend-on-Sea – so Southend-on-Sea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Southend-on-Sea

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

181,808

💱 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

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Between locations

Glasgow Southend-on-Sea 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
Southend-on-Sea

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 Southend-on-Sea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,638 per month in Glasgow and $3,434 in Southend-on-Sea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Southend-on-Sea, 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 $1,959 in Southend-on-Sea. 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 it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Southend-on-Sea, where all-in costs run around $2,289, than in Glasgow at $2,425. In Southend-on-Sea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glasgow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Glasgow has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea to $2,425 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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