Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guildford and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $3,168 in Guildford, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Guildford
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Guildford Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Guildford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,168

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guildford and in Glasgow

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guildford and in Glasgow actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,168 per month in Guildford vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Guildford $3,168
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $4,474 per month in Guildford vs $3,706 in Glasgow, rent included.

Guildford $4,474
Glasgow $3,706

A family of three spends $5,779 per month in Guildford vs $4,987 in Glasgow, rent included.

Guildford $5,779
Glasgow $4,987

Guildford costs about 31% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guildford and Glasgow sit above the global median – Guildford by 133%, Glasgow by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.72 £22.37

$21.28 £16.02

39.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.3 £70.2

$67.2 £50.6

38.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 £8.45

$10.58 £7.96

6.14%

Cappuccino

$5.04 £3.79

$4.81 £3.62

4.78%

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

$2.71 £2.04

$2.26 £1.70

19.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.83 £1.38

-14.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.56 £6.44

$5.48 £4.12

56.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

$6.63 £4.99

3.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.67 £1.25

-7.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.64 £1.23

-18.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 £1.48

$2.00 £1.51

-1.50%

Eggs

$4.36 £3.28

$4.00 £3.01

9.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 £10.20

$9.28 £6.99

46.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 £7.71

$9.08 £6.84

12.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 £12.16

$16.75 £12.61

-3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 £2.66

$3.02 £2.27

17.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 £1.60

$1.51 £1.14

40.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 £2.81

$2.91 £2.19

28.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.43 £4.08

$3.19 £2.40

70.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.55 £1.17

-7.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.13 £0.85

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.12

$1.58 £1.19

-6.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.07 £18.12

$23.96 £18.03

0.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 £9.00

$11.32 £8.52

5.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.88

$3.37 £2.53

-25.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.30

$3.33 £2.51

-8.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.36

$3.98 £3.00

-21.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.2 £70.9

$108 £81.3

-12.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 £3.47

$5.75 £4.33

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.14 £0.86

77.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.80 £30.70

$60.6 £45.62

-32.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.09 £1.57

-2.39%

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

$39.2K £29.5K

$39.3K £29.6K

-0.28%

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

$41.1K £30.9K

$40.6K £30.6K

1.18%

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

$398 £299

$312 £235

27.29%

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

$20.59 £15.50

$20.29 £15.27

1.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.34 £34.88

$42.05 £31.65

10.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 £38.91

$37.31 £28.08

38.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.35

$20.73 £15.60

11.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 £7.91

$16.26 £12.24

-35.36%

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

$2,390 £1,799

$1,124 £846

112.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K £18.4K

$21.6K £16.3K

13.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 £83.4

$132 £99.3

-16.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 £50.3

$45.81 £34.48

45.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 £88.8

$107 £80.2

10.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.7

$93.4 £70.3

36.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 £1,465

$1,368 £1,030

42.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 £1,184

$1,047 £788

50.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,908 £2,189

$2,770 £2,084

5.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,363 £1,778

$2,080 £1,565

13.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,969 £5,998

$4,035 £3,037

97.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,803 £5,120

$2,923 £2,200

132.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,678 £2,768

$3,339 £2,513

10.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.13

4.79

7.10%

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

Last update for Guildford: October 27, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guildford

$1.6K 49.7%

Glasgow

$1K 43.2% 33.4% $526

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guildford

$465 14.7%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 19.3% $90

Eating Out

Guildford

$405 12.8%

Glasgow

$317 13.1% 21.9% $89

Groceries & Markets

Guildford

$340 10.7%

Glasgow

$311 12.8% 8.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Guildford

$190 6%

Glasgow

$170 7% 10.6% $20

Getting Around

Guildford

$121 3.8%

Glasgow

$135 5.6% 11.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Guildford

$73 2.3%

Glasgow

$70 2.9% 4% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,946 in Guildford versus $1,368 in Glasgow. 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 10% higher in Guildford, 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 $93 in Guildford versus $67 in Glasgow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $311 – making Glasgow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Guildford

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

Same time as Guildford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,773

606,340

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Guildford Glasgow 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Guildford
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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

Guildford vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,168 in Guildford, $2,425 in Glasgow – Glasgow comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,752 per month in Guildford and $3,637 in Glasgow. 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 $1,946 in Guildford.

Kindergarten costs $2,390 per month in Guildford and $1,124 in Glasgow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Guildford, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Glasgow, where all-in costs run around $2,425, than in Guildford at $3,168. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guildford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Glasgow – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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