Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,763 in Reading, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Reading
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Reading Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Reading

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,763

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,763 per month in Reading vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Reading $2,763
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $4,013 per month in Reading vs $3,706 in Glasgow, rent included.

Reading $4,013
Glasgow $3,706

A family of three spends $5,264 per month in Reading vs $4,987 in Glasgow, rent included.

Reading $5,264
Glasgow $4,987

Reading costs about 14% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.16 £20.29

$21.28 £15.90

27.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.3 £68.9

$67.2 £50.2

37.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 £7.79

$10.58 £7.90

-1.42%

Cappuccino

$4.98 £3.72

$4.81 £3.60

3.53%

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

$2.89 £2.16

$2.26 £1.69

27.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.08

$1.83 £1.37

51.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.66 £6.47

$5.48 £4.09

58.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.84

$6.63 £4.96

-2.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.11

$1.67 £1.25

-10.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.64 £1.22

6.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 £2.19

$2.00 £1.50

46.50%

Eggs

$3.73 £2.78

$4.00 £2.99

-6.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.34 £8.47

$9.28 £6.93

22.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 £6.37

$9.08 £6.79

-6.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 £9.64

$16.75 £12.52

-22.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 £2.23

$3.02 £2.26

-1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.51 £1.13

-2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.17

$2.91 £2.18

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 £2.40

$3.19 £2.38

0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.93 £1.44

-19.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.55 £1.16

-9.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 £0.69

$1.13 £0.84

-18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.58 £1.18

-5.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.01 £17.93

$23.96 £17.90

0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 £10.38

$11.32 £8.46

22.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 £1.74

$3.37 £2.51

-31.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$3.33 £2.49

-7.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.91 £2.92

$3.98 £2.98

-1.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.8 £62.6

$108 £80.7

-22.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.55 £4.89

$5.75 £4.30

13.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.58 £3.42

$1.14 £0.85

301.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.37 £9.99

$60.6 £45.28

-77.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.49

$2.09 £1.56

-4.31%

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

$39.3K £29.3K

0.02%

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

$40.6K £30.3K

$40.6K £30.4K

-0.20%

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

$282 £211

$312 £233

-9.63%

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

$20.55 £15.35

$20.29 £15.16

1.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.40 £34.66

$42.05 £31.41

10.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.80 £33.47

$37.31 £27.87

20.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.12 £15.78

$20.73 £15.49

1.88%

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 £9.84

$16.26 £12.15

-18.94%

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

$1,905 £1,423

$1,124 £840

69.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.2K £21.8K

$21.6K £16.1K

35.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 £55.7

$132 £98.6

-43.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.7 £50.6

$45.81 £34.22

47.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 £85.6

$107 £79.7

7.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 £81.1

$93.4 £69.8

16.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 £1,299

$1,368 £1,022

27.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 £1,017

$1,047 £782

29.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 £2,170

$2,770 £2,069

4.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,165 £1,617

$2,080 £1,554

4.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,218 £5,392

$4,035 £3,014

78.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,527 £4,129

$2,923 £2,183

89.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,446 £2,575

$3,339 £2,494

3.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.38%

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

Last update for Reading: 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

Reading

$1.4K 49.3%

Glasgow

$1K 43.2% 23.1% $314

Eating Out

Reading

$387 14%

Glasgow

$317 13.1% 18.2% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reading

$349 12.6%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 7.3% $25

Groceries & Markets

Reading

$300 10.9%

Glasgow

$311 12.8% 3.5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Reading

$164 6%

Glasgow

$170 7% 3.4% $5.6

Getting Around

Reading

$129 4.7%

Glasgow

$135 5.6% 5% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Reading

$71 2.6%

Glasgow

$70 2.9% 1.9% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,739 in Reading 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 3% higher in Reading, 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 $92 in Reading versus $67 in Glasgow. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Reading vs $311 in Glasgow – so Reading wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Reading

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

Same time as Reading

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,666

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

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Highest

Between locations

Reading Glasgow 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Reading
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

Reading vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,763 in Reading, $2,425 in Glasgow – Glasgow comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,144 per month in Reading 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 $1,739 in Reading.

Kindergarten costs $1,905 per month in Reading and $1,124 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 Reading – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Glasgow costs $2,425 versus $2,763 in Reading. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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