Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
Learn more

Glasgow Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

London $4,086
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $3,706 in Glasgow, rent included.

London $5,891
Glasgow $3,706

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $4,987 in Glasgow, rent included.

London $7,696
Glasgow $4,987

London costs about 68% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Glasgow sit above the global median – London by 200%, Glasgow by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.98

$21.28 £16.02

24.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.5

$67.2 £50.6

59.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.12

$10.58 £7.96

1.89%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.30

$4.81 £3.62

18.71%

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

$3.01 £2.26

$2.26 £1.70

33.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.72

$1.83 £1.38

25.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.84

$5.48 £4.12

65.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.07

$6.63 £4.99

21.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.67 £1.25

13.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.53

$1.64 £1.23

23.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$2.00 £1.51

22.50%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.82

$4.00 £3.01

26.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.56

$9.28 £6.99

36.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.99

$9.08 £6.84

16.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.31

$16.75 £12.61

5.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.39

$3.02 £2.27

4.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.51 £1.14

-3.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$2.91 £2.19

7.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.57

$3.19 £2.40

6.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.93 £1.45

-13.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.55 £1.17

14.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.13 £0.85

26.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.58 £1.19

18.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.99

$23.96 £18.03

-0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.14

$11.32 £8.52

19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.32

$3.37 £2.53

-8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.31

$3.33 £2.51

31.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.07

$3.98 £3.00

2.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £190

$108 £81.3

133.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.32

$5.75 £4.33

-0.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.52

$1.14 £0.86

193.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £43.07

$60.6 £45.62

-5.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.57

$2.09 £1.57

-0.48%

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

$38.0K £28.6K

$39.3K £29.6K

-3.27%

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

$40.4K £30.4K

$40.6K £30.6K

-0.56%

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

$387 £291

$312 £235

23.85%

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

$18.57 £13.98

$20.29 £15.27

-8.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.62

$42.05 £31.65

-3.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £43.33

$37.31 £28.08

54.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.87

$20.73 £15.60

-4.73%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.79

$16.26 £12.24

12.73%

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

$2,957 £2,225

$1,124 £846

163.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £27.0K

$21.6K £16.3K

66.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £89.4

$132 £99.3

-9.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.35

$45.81 £34.48

22.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £98.5

$107 £80.2

22.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$93.4 £70.3

76.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,116

$1,368 £1,030

105.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,724

$1,047 £788

118.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,902

$2,770 £2,084

87.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,864

$2,080 £1,565

82.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.3K

$4,035 £3,037

337.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,325

$2,923 £2,200

187.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,816

$3,339 £2,513

51.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Glasgow

$1K 43.2% 54.3% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 16% $71

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Glasgow

$317 13.1% 20% $79

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Glasgow

$311 12.8% 12.6% $45

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Glasgow

$135 5.6% 53.5% $156

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Glasgow

$170 7% 19.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Glasgow

$70 2.9% 25.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London 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 52% higher in London, 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 $107 in London versus $67 in Glasgow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $311 – making Glasgow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Glasgow 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Glasgow

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

London vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,425 in Glasgow – Glasgow comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London 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 $2,811 in London.

Kindergarten costs $2,957 per month in London 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 14% more in London, 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 London at $4,086. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,425 in Glasgow to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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