Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Swansea

For one person, living is cheaper in Swansea: $2,196 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Swansea
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Swansea Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Swansea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Swansea

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $2,196 in Swansea, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Swansea $2,196

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $3,130 in Swansea, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Swansea $3,130

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $4,065 in Swansea, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Swansea $4,065

Glasgow costs about 10% more than Swansea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Glasgow and Swansea sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Swansea by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.90

$20.41 £15.25

4.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.2

$63.1 £47.11

6.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.90

$10.47 £7.82

1.05%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.60

$4.76 £3.56

1.05%

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

$2.26 £1.69

$2.36 £1.76

-4.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.26 £0.94

45.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.09

$5.89 £4.40

-6.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.96

$6.38 £4.77

3.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.34 £1.00

24.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.22

$2.05 £1.53

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$2.06 £1.54

-2.91%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$3.52 £2.63

13.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.93

$7.78 £5.82

19.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.79

$8.33 £6.22

9.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.52

$12.87 £9.61

30.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.32 £1.73

30.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.24 £0.93

21.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.18

$2.87 £2.14

1.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.38

$3.57 £2.67

-10.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$2.25 £1.68

-14.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$3.05 £2.28

-49.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.84

$1.27 £0.95

-11.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.18

$2.29 £1.71

-31.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.90

$23.23 £17.35

3.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.46

$10.63 £7.94

6.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.51

$2.33 £1.74

44.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.49

$3.40 £2.54

-2.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.98

$4.12 £3.08

-3.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.7

$97.1 £72.5

11.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.30

$3.95 £2.95

45.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.85

$2.68 £2.01

-57.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.28

$33.33 £24.90

81.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$1.95 £1.46

7.18%

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

$39.3K £29.3K

$38.9K £29.1K

0.94%

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

$40.6K £30.4K

$40.5K £30.2K

0.39%

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

$312 £233

$306 £229

1.95%

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

$20.29 £15.16

$14.81 £11.07

37.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.41

$43.20 £32.27

-2.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £27.87

$33.28 £24.87

12.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.49

$15.52 £11.60

33.57%

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.15

$9.85 £7.36

65.08%

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

$1,124 £840

$1,777 £1,327

-36.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £98.6

$89.7 £67.0

47.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.22

$48.22 £36.03

-5.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £79.7

$122 £91.3

-12.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £69.8

$82.6 £61.7

13.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,022

$1,112 £831

23.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £782

$891 £666

17.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,069

$1,500 £1,120

84.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,554

$1,337 £999

55.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,014

$3,563 £2,662

13.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,183

$2,615 £1,953

11.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,494

$3,263 £2,437

2.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

6.04

-20.70%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Last update for Swansea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Swansea

$891 40.6% 14.9% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Swansea

$364 16.6% 2.8% $10

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Swansea

$309 14.1% 2.6% $8.2

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Swansea

$293 13.4% 5.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Swansea

$154 7% 9.3% $16

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Swansea

$131 6% 3.3% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Swansea

$53 2.4% 24.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow versus $1,112 in Swansea. 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 $63 in Swansea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $293 – making Swansea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Swansea

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

239,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Glasgow Swansea 470 km

From you

Glasgow
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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 Swansea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $2,196 in Swansea – Swansea comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $3,293 in Swansea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Swansea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,112 there versus $1,368 in Glasgow.

Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $1,777 in Swansea. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Glasgow, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,425 in Glasgow and $2,196 in Swansea. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Swansea costs $2,196 versus $2,425 in Glasgow. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Swansea is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 9% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.