Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston upon Thames and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,276

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston upon Thames 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 Kingston upon Thames and in Glasgow actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,276 per month in Kingston upon Thames vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Kingston upon Thames $3,276
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $4,746 per month in Kingston upon Thames vs $3,641 in Glasgow, rent included.

Kingston upon Thames $4,746
Glasgow $3,641

A family of three spends $6,216 per month in Kingston upon Thames vs $4,856 in Glasgow, rent included.

Kingston upon Thames $6,216
Glasgow $4,856

Kingston upon Thames costs about 35% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kingston upon Thames and Glasgow sit above the global median – Kingston upon Thames by 143%, Glasgow by 80%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 £16.58

$21.32 £15.99

3.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 £65.0

$71.5 £53.6

21.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 £7.82

Cappuccino

$5.46 £4.09

$4.81 £3.61

13.51%

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

$3.00 £2.25

$2.15 £1.61

39.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.20 £6.91

$5.32 £3.99

72.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.93

$6.52 £4.89

21.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.62 £1.22

3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.61 £1.21

7.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.96 £1.47

25.00%

Eggs

$4.91 £3.68

$3.80 £2.85

29.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 £6.35

$9.22 £6.92

-8.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 £6.54

$9.03 £6.78

-3.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 £9.74

$16.68 £12.52

-22.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$3.10 £2.33

0.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.56 £1.17

-13.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$2.94 £2.21

-11.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$3.19 £2.40

-9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.98 £1.48

-15.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.61 £1.21

6.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.15 £0.86

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.58 £1.19

13.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$23.19 £17.40

0.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 £6.99

$10.88 £8.17

-14.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 £2.32

$3.22 £2.42

-4.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 £3.34

$3.38 £2.54

31.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 £1.78

$4.31 £3.23

-45.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.49 £31.88

$103 £77.4

-58.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 £3.69

$5.66 £4.25

-13.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.13 £0.85

26.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.70 £17.78

$60.4 £45.34

-60.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.49

$2.14 £1.60

-7.48%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$38.6K £28.9K

-2.25%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$40.5K £30.4K

-1.59%

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

$371 £278

$313 £235

18.45%

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

$15.63 £11.73

$20.21 £15.16

-22.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.78 £30.60

$41.75 £31.32

-2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 £76.8

$45.71 £34.29

124.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.49 £7.87

$20.00 £15.00

-47.55%

Cinema Ticket

$19.46 £14.60

$15.76 £11.82

23.48%

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

$2,594 £1,946

$903 £677

187.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K £16.6K

$21.7K £16.3K

2.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.7

$133 £99.7

-14.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 £40.19

$46.40 £34.81

15.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 £58.6

$107 £80.0

-26.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$89.3 £67.0

18.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 £1,527

$1,317 £988

54.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,374

$1,050 £787

74.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,567 £2,676

$2,746 £2,060

29.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,164 £2,374

$1,931 £1,448

63.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,110 £3,083

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,011 £2,259

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,303 £3,978

$3,323 £2,493

59.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.79

-1.04%

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

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 13, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.9%

Glasgow

$1K 43.3% 42.7% $782

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston upon Thames

$427 13%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 12.2% $52

Eating Out

Kingston upon Thames

$355 10.8%

Glasgow

$315 13% 11.2% $40

Groceries & Markets

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.1%

Glasgow

$308 12.7% 3.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston upon Thames

$158 4.8%

Glasgow

$169 7% 6.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston upon Thames

$141 4.3%

Glasgow

$77 3.2% 45.4% $64

Getting Around

Kingston upon Thames

$64 2%

Glasgow

$132 5.4% 106% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames versus $1,317 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 60% higher in Kingston upon Thames, 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 $87.0 in Kingston upon Thames versus $71.0 in Glasgow. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Kingston upon Thames vs $308 in Glasgow – so Kingston upon Thames wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

Same time as Kingston upon Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,013

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

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Between locations

Kingston upon Thames Glasgow 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Kingston upon Thames
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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

Kingston upon Thames vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, $2,425 in Glasgow – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,913 per month in Kingston upon Thames and $3,638 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,594 per month in Kingston upon Thames and $903 in Glasgow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Kingston upon Thames – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Glasgow, where all-in costs run around $2,425, than in Kingston upon Thames at $3,276. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston upon Thames it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kingston upon Thames has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,425 in Glasgow to $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames. 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 Glasgow. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston upon Thames makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.