Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,765 in Portsmouth, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portsmouth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

134

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth
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Portsmouth Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,765

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,765 per month in Portsmouth vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Portsmouth $2,765
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $3,781 per month in Portsmouth vs $3,706 in Glasgow, rent included.

Portsmouth $3,781
Glasgow $3,706

A family of three spends $4,798 per month in Portsmouth vs $4,987 in Glasgow, rent included.

Portsmouth $4,798
Glasgow $4,987

Portsmouth costs about 14% more than Glasgow.

Both Portsmouth and Glasgow sit above the global median – Portsmouth by 103%, Glasgow by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 £15.00

$21.28 £15.89

-5.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 £49.62

$67.2 £50.2

-1.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.87

$10.58 £7.90

-0.38%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.57

$4.81 £3.59

-0.62%

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

$2.74 £2.05

$2.26 £1.69

21.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 £1.73

$1.83 £1.37

26.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.28 £4.69

$5.48 £4.09

14.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 £4.37

$6.63 £4.95

-11.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.67 £1.24

-16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.64 £1.22

-1.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 £2.74

$2.00 £1.49

83.50%

Eggs

$3.46 £2.58

$4.00 £2.98

-13.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 £10.07

$9.28 £6.93

45.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 £6.09

$9.08 £6.78

-10.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 £9.84

$16.75 £12.51

-21.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.89 £2.91

$3.02 £2.26

28.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.51 £1.13

27.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 £2.18

$2.91 £2.18

0.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.52

$3.19 £2.38

5.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.93 £1.44

-13.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.55 £1.16

7.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.13 £0.84

7.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.58 £1.18

-6.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.69 £16.94

$23.96 £17.89

-5.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.31

$11.32 £8.45

-1.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.37 £2.51

-7.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 £1.61

$3.33 £2.49

-35.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.94 £2.94

$3.98 £2.97

-1.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.3 £64.4

$108 £80.7

-20.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 £3.96

$5.75 £4.29

-7.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.14 £0.85

35.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.93 £14.88

$60.6 £45.26

-67.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

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

$38.5K £28.8K

$39.3K £29.3K

-1.93%

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

$41.1K £30.7K

$40.6K £30.3K

1.11%

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

$661 £493

$312 £233

111.50%

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

$15.19 £11.34

$20.29 £15.15

-25.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.05 £32.14

$42.05 £31.40

2.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.53 £25.78

$37.31 £27.86

-7.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 £12.87

$20.73 £15.48

-16.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 £8.06

$16.26 £12.14

-33.58%

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

$1,602 £1,196

$1,124 £839

42.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K £14.9K

$21.6K £16.1K

-7.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 £68.1

$132 £98.5

-30.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 £29.72

$45.81 £34.20

-13.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 £75.0

$107 £79.6

-5.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £89.2

$93.4 £69.7

27.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 £1,115

$1,368 £1,022

9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 £815

$1,047 £782

4.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 £1,602

$2,770 £2,068

-22.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 £1,246

$2,080 £1,553

-19.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,574 £3,415

$4,035 £3,013

13.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,680 £2,748

$2,923 £2,182

25.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,397 £2,536

$3,339 £2,493

1.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

4.79

7.72%

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

Last update for Portsmouth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portsmouth

$1.1K 39.5%

Glasgow

$1K 43.2% 4.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

$719 26%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 47.9% $344

Eating Out

Portsmouth

$313 11.3%

Glasgow

$317 13.1% 1.2% $3.8

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

$312 11.3%

Glasgow

$311 12.8% 0.4% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

$158 5.7%

Glasgow

$170 7% 7.7% $12

Getting Around

Portsmouth

$115 4.2%

Glasgow

$135 5.6% 17.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

$56 2%

Glasgow

$70 2.9% 24.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,493 in Portsmouth 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Portsmouth versus $67 in Glasgow. Groceries tell a different story – $312 in Portsmouth vs $311 in Glasgow – so Glasgow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Portsmouth

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

Same time as Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,974

606,340

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portsmouth Glasgow 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth
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

Portsmouth vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portsmouth costs about 14% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,147 per month in Portsmouth and $3,637 in Glasgow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,493 in Portsmouth and $1,368 in Glasgow. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $1,602 per month in Portsmouth and $1,124 in Glasgow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,765 in Portsmouth and $2,425 in Glasgow. That makes Glasgow about 12% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Portsmouth has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,425 in Glasgow to $2,765 in Portsmouth. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.