Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lerwick and Glasgow

For one person, living costs are similar in Lerwick and in Glasgow: $2,368 and $2,425 a month, rent and utilities included.

114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
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Lerwick Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,368 per month in Lerwick vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Lerwick $2,368
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $3,415 per month in Lerwick vs $3,644 in Glasgow, rent included.

Lerwick $3,415
Glasgow $3,644

A family of three spends $4,462 per month in Lerwick vs $4,864 in Glasgow, rent included.

Lerwick $4,462
Glasgow $4,864

Lerwick is about 2% cheaper than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lerwick and Glasgow sit above the global median – Lerwick by 75%, Glasgow by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 £15.11

$21.03 £15.78

-4.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 £73.9

$66.7 £50.1

47.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 £7.76

$10.56 £7.92

-1.99%

Cappuccino

$5.40 £4.05

$4.78 £3.59

12.97%

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

$2.25 £1.69

$2.27 £1.70

-0.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.90 £1.42

-13.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 £4.84

$5.43 £4.08

18.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 £4.40

$6.76 £5.07

-13.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.65 £1.24

-6.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 £1.66

$1.98 £1.49

11.62%

Eggs

$4.02 £3.02

$3.93 £2.95

2.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £7.03

$9.24 £6.93

1.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.57 £6.43

$9.29 £6.97

-7.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 £10.84

$16.82 £12.62

-14.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.27

$2.99 £2.24

1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.49 £1.12

1.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 £2.07

$2.89 £2.17

-4.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$3.22 £2.42

1.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.97 £1.47

-7.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.59 £1.19

7.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.19 £0.89

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.64 £1.23

-5.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.02 £18.02

$23.68 £17.76

1.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 £7.86

$11.13 £8.35

-5.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 £2.25

$3.39 £2.54

-11.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.44 £2.58

-4.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 £2.30

$4.07 £3.05

-24.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.1 £62.3

$103 £77.5

-19.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.23 £3.18

$6.03 £4.52

-29.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$1.16 £0.87

102.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.03 £18.03

$62.0 £46.48

-61.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 £1.75

$2.15 £1.62

8.84%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$39.3K £29.5K

-0.98%

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

$34.5K £25.9K

$39.7K £29.8K

-13.10%

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

$309 £232

$315 £236

-1.64%

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

$19.33 £14.50

$20.19 £15.15

-4.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.26 £33.95

$43.28 £32.47

4.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 £39.61

$46.26 £34.71

14.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 £15.26

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 £9.99

$16.23 £12.17

-17.93%

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

$1,392 £1,045

$905 £679

53.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K £18.4K

$21.6K £16.2K

13.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 £66.5

$135 £102

-34.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 £37.93

$46.32 £34.75

9.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 £66.8

$108 £80.9

-17.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 £82.8

$93.1 £69.9

18.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 £834

$1,350 £1,013

-17.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £777

$1,036 £778

-0.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,395 £1,797

$2,680 £2,011

-10.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,523 £1,143

$1,941 £1,456

-21.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,646 £3,486

$4,064 £3,049

14.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,438 £2,579

$3,073 £2,306

11.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,420 £2,566

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

4.79

6.26%

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

Last update for Lerwick: October 18, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lerwick

$1K 43.7%

Glasgow

$1K 42.8% 0.1% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lerwick

$374 15.8%

Glasgow

$378 15.6% 1.1% $4

Eating Out

Lerwick

$317 13.4%

Glasgow

$315 13% 0.6% $1.9

Groceries & Markets

Lerwick

$298 12.6%

Glasgow

$313 12.9% 4.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Lerwick

$152 6.4%

Glasgow

$172 7.1% 13% $20

Getting Around

Lerwick

$111 4.7%

Glasgow

$131 5.4% 18% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lerwick

$79 3.4%

Glasgow

$79 3.3% 0.9% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,112 in Lerwick versus $1,350 in Glasgow. 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 $99.0 in Lerwick versus $67.0 in Glasgow. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Lerwick vs $313 in Glasgow – so Lerwick wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

Same time as Lerwick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

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

Lerwick Glasgow 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lerwick
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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

Lerwick vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,368 in Lerwick, $2,425 in Glasgow – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,552 per month in Lerwick 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 Lerwick, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,392 per month in Lerwick and $905 in Glasgow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Lerwick, where all-in costs run around $2,368, than in Glasgow at $2,425. In Lerwick 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 $2,368 in Lerwick to $2,425 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 Lerwick. 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.