Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plymouth and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,602 in Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Plymouth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,602
/mo nomad
Glasgow
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,425
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,602 per month in Plymouth vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Plymouth $2,602
  • Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $3,589 per month in Plymouth vs $3,644 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Plymouth $3,589
  • Glasgow $3,644

A family of three spends $4,576 per month in Plymouth vs $4,864 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Plymouth $4,576
  • Glasgow $4,864

Plymouth costs about 7% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Plymouth and Glasgow sit above the global median – Plymouth by 92%, Glasgow by 79%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Plymouth
Glasgow
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.12 £16.59
$21.03 £15.78
5.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.4 £61.8
$66.7 £50.1
23.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 £8.06
$10.56 £7.92
1.80%
Cappuccino
$5.02 £3.77
$4.78 £3.59
5.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 £1.57
$2.27 £1.70
-7.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 £1.28
$1.90 £1.42
-10.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.28 £4.71
$5.43 £4.08
15.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.09 £4.57
$6.76 £5.07
-9.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Plymouth
Glasgow
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 £1.10
$1.65 £1.24
-10.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.23 £0.92
$1.69 £1.27
-27.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.02 £2.26
$1.98 £1.49
52.53%
Eggs
$3.88 £2.91
$3.93 £2.95
-1.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.24 £7.68
$9.24 £6.93
10.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.51 £6.39
$9.29 £6.97
-8.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.56 £10.18
$16.82 £12.62
-19.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.04 £1.53
$2.99 £2.24
-31.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.49 £1.12
-3.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.06 £3.05
$2.89 £2.17
40.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.96 £2.97
$3.22 £2.42
22.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 £1.42
$1.97 £1.47
-3.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.41 £1.06
$1.59 £1.19
-11.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.75 £1.31
$1.19 £0.89
47.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 £1.10
$1.64 £1.23
-10.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.20 £18.15
$23.68 £17.76
2.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.19 £5.39
$11.13 £8.35
-35.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.08 £2.31
$3.39 £2.54
-9.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.69 £3.52
$3.44 £2.58
36.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Plymouth
Glasgow
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.88 £2.91
$4.07 £3.05
-4.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$134 £100
$103 £77.5
29.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.57 £4.93
$6.03 £4.52
8.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.47 £1.85
$1.16 £0.87
112.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$62.0 £46.48
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.01 £1.51
$2.15 £1.62
-6.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.7K £29.0K
$39.3K £29.5K
-1.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.4K
$39.7K £29.8K
2.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Plymouth
Glasgow
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$463 £347
$315 £236
47.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.48 £24.37
$20.19 £15.15
60.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.2 £47.39
$43.28 £32.47
45.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Plymouth
Glasgow
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.55 £32.68
$46.26 £34.71
-5.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.83 £13.37
$20.34 £15.26
-12.34%
Cinema Ticket
$11.52 £8.64
$16.23 £12.17
-29.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Plymouth
Glasgow
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,692 £2,019
$905 £679
197.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.1K £21.1K
$21.6K £16.2K
29.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Plymouth
Glasgow
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.1 £63.1
$135 £102
-37.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 £42.86
$46.32 £34.75
23.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.6 £70.2
$108 £80.9
-13.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.7 £60.5
$93.1 £69.9
-13.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Plymouth
Glasgow
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,044 £783
$1,350 £1,013
-22.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,043 £782
$1,036 £778
0.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,243 £1,683
$2,680 £2,011
-16.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,415 £1,062
$1,941 £1,456
-27.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,882 £3,662
$4,064 £3,049
20.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,369 £2,528
$3,073 £2,306
9.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Plymouth
Glasgow
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,046 £2,285
$3,420 £2,566
-10.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.64
4.79
17.75%

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

Last update for Plymouth: 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
Plymouth
$1K
Glasgow
$1K 0.6% $6.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Plymouth
$558
Glasgow
$378 32.3% $180
Eating Out
Plymouth
$328
Glasgow
$315 4.1% $14
Groceries & Markets
Plymouth
$296
Glasgow
$313 5.8% $17
Getting Around
Plymouth
$168
Glasgow
$131 21.7% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Plymouth
$142
Glasgow
$172 21.3% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Plymouth
$67
Glasgow
$79 18.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,044 in Plymouth 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.

Salaries run about 12% higher in Glasgow, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Plymouth versus $67.0 in Glasgow. Groceries tell a different story – $296 in Plymouth vs $313 in Glasgow – so Plymouth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Plymouth
🇬🇧 Glasgow
🕒 Local time
17:39 5:39 PM
17:39 5:39 PM
Same time as Plymouth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
264,695
606,340
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Plymouth Glasgow 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Plymouth
  • 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
Plymouth vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Plymouth and in Glasgow compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,602 in Plymouth, $2,425 in Glasgow – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Plymouth compared to Glasgow?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,903 per month in Plymouth and $3,637 in Glasgow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Plymouth and Glasgow?
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.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Plymouth and Glasgow?
Kindergarten costs $2,692 per month in Plymouth and $905 in Glasgow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Plymouth – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Glasgow, where all-in costs run around $2,425, than in Plymouth at $2,602. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plymouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Plymouth and Glasgow?
It depends on your priorities. Plymouth has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,425 in Glasgow to $2,602 in Plymouth. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Plymouth and Glasgow?
If budget matters most, go with Glasgow. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Plymouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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