Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and St. Andrews

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Andrews: $2,255 a month against $2,386 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
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St. Andrews Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,386

/mo nomad

St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in St. Andrews

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

A single person spends $2,386 per month in Glasgow vs $2,255 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Glasgow $2,386
St. Andrews $2,255

A couple spends around $3,604 per month in Glasgow vs $3,874 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Glasgow $3,604
St. Andrews $3,874

A family of three spends $4,823 per month in Glasgow vs $5,492 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Glasgow $4,823
St. Andrews $5,492

Glasgow costs about 6% more than St. Andrews, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Glasgow and St. Andrews sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, St. Andrews by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.99 £15.87

$21.47 £16.23

-2.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 £55.6

$84.5 £63.9

-13.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 £7.98

$10.62 £8.03

-0.66%

Cappuccino

$4.87 £3.68

$4.67 £3.53

4.28%

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

$2.13 £1.61

$2.81 £2.13

-24.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.15 £1.63

-19.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 £3.93

$6.51 £4.92

-20.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 £5.03

$6.59 £4.98

0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.24

$1.57 £1.19

4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 £1.18

$1.74 £1.32

-10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 £1.55

$2.02 £1.52

1.49%

Eggs

$3.80 £2.88

$4.45 £3.37

-14.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 £6.93

$7.40 £5.59

23.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 £6.81

$9.44 £7.13

-4.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.66

$15.43 £11.66

8.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.26

$2.44 £1.85

22.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.18

$1.32 £1.00

17.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.24

$2.84 £2.14

4.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$2.85 £2.15

9.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 £1.44

$1.76 £1.33

8.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.21

$1.49 £1.13

7.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.86

$1.25 £0.95

-8.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.23

$2.45 £1.85

-33.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.66 £17.88

$22.65 £17.12

4.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.42

$10.91 £8.25

2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.48

$2.73 £2.06

19.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 £2.59

$3.01 £2.28

13.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.08

$4.65 £3.52

-12.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £78.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 £4.51

$3.95 £2.98

50.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 £0.89

$2.44 £1.84

-52.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 £45.63

$24.22 £18.31

149.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.61

$2.09 £1.58

2.39%

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

$38.5K £29.1K

$37.5K £28.4K

2.67%

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

$40.4K £30.6K

$41.2K £31.2K

-1.88%

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

$309 £233

$239 £181

29.25%

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

$20.34 £15.38

$12.98 £9.81

56.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.92 £31.68

$42.73 £32.30

-1.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.96 £33.99

$92.2 £69.7

-51.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.43 £15.45

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 £12.02

$13.16 £9.94

20.82%

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

$897 £678

$1,773 £1,340

-49.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K £16.2K

$23.2K £17.6K

-7.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 £101

$94.7 £71.6

40.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.49 £35.14

$48.10 £36.36

-3.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.5

$104 £78.7

2.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.6 £69.3

$87.5 £66.1

4.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 £1,016

$1,354 £1,023

-0.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 £795

$1,028 £777

2.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 £2,051

$3,082 £2,330

-11.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,955 £1,477

$2,706 £2,045

-27.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 £3,030

$6,113 £4,621

-34.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 £2,302

$2,693 £2,036

13.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,270 £2,472

$3,284 £2,483

-0.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

5.41

-12.01%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 5, 2026

Last update for St. Andrews: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1.1K 43.4%

St. Andrews

$1K 45.6% 2.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$371 15.3%

St. Andrews

$295 13.1% 20.6% $76

Eating Out

Glasgow

$313 12.9%

St. Andrews

$325 14.4% 4% $13

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$308 12.7%

St. Andrews

$305 13.5% 1.3% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

St. Andrews

$151 6.7% 11.5% $20

Getting Around

Glasgow

$131 5.4%

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.5% 73.6% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$77 3.2%

St. Andrews

$119 5.3% 54.4% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,345 in Glasgow versus $1,354 in St. Andrews. 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 St. Andrews, 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 $74.0 in Glasgow versus $84.0 in St. Andrews. Groceries tell a different story – $308 in Glasgow vs $305 in St. Andrews – so St. Andrews wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

16,460

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Glasgow St. Andrews 100 km

From you

Glasgow
St. Andrews

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 St. Andrews: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,386 in Glasgow, $2,255 in St. Andrews – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,578 per month in Glasgow and $3,383 in St. Andrews. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St. Andrews, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,386 in Glasgow and $2,255 in St. Andrews. That's a gap of about 6%.

Kindergarten costs $897 per month in Glasgow and $1,773 in St. Andrews. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Andrews, where all-in costs run around $2,255, than in Glasgow at $2,386. In St. Andrews 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 $2,255 in St. Andrews to $2,386 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with St. Andrews. 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.