Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $2,655 in Southampton, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,655

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,655 per month in Southampton vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Southampton $2,655
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $3,818 per month in Southampton vs $3,706 in Glasgow, rent included.

Southampton $3,818
Glasgow $3,706

A family of three spends $4,981 per month in Southampton vs $4,987 in Glasgow, rent included.

Southampton $4,981
Glasgow $4,987

Southampton costs about 9% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Southampton and Glasgow sit above the global median – Southampton by 95%, Glasgow by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.76 £19.95

$21.28 £15.87

25.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 £66.8

$67.2 £50.1

33.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 £8.29

$10.58 £7.88

5.10%

Cappuccino

$5.43 £4.05

$4.81 £3.59

12.89%

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

$2.98 £2.22

$2.26 £1.68

31.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.67

$1.83 £1.36

22.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.46 £5.56

$5.48 £4.09

36.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 £5.03

$6.63 £4.95

1.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.67 £1.24

19.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.64 £1.22

4.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 £2.27

$2.00 £1.49

52.00%

Eggs

$4.42 £3.29

$4.00 £2.98

10.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 £7.34

$9.28 £6.92

6.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 £7.21

$9.08 £6.77

6.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 £10.76

$16.75 £12.49

-13.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 £2.13

$3.02 £2.25

-5.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.51 £1.13

15.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.12

$2.91 £2.17

-2.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.53

$3.19 £2.38

6.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.37

$1.93 £1.44

-4.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.55 £1.16

1.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.13 £0.84

7.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.58 £1.18

15.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.33 £15.91

$23.96 £17.86

-10.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.30

$11.32 £8.44

-1.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 £2.20

$3.37 £2.51

-12.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 £2.54

$3.33 £2.48

2.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 £2.47

$3.98 £2.97

-16.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.1 £58.2

$108 £80.5

-27.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 £3.22

$5.75 £4.29

-25.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 £1.46

$1.14 £0.85

71.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.03 £23.88

$60.6 £45.19

-47.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 £1.61

$2.09 £1.56

3.35%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$39.3K £29.3K

-2.73%

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

$40.9K £30.5K

$40.6K £30.3K

0.66%

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

$327 £244

$312 £233

4.65%

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

$29.33 £21.87

$20.29 £15.13

44.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 £39.71

$42.05 £31.35

26.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.74 £28.14

$37.31 £27.82

1.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.78 £12.51

$20.73 £15.46

-19.05%

Cinema Ticket

$15.96 £11.90

$16.26 £12.12

-1.85%

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

$1,886 £1,406

$1,124 £838

67.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K £13.7K

$21.6K £16.1K

-15.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £78.9

$132 £98.4

-19.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 £38.28

$45.81 £34.15

12.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.3

$107 £79.5

-4.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 £97.5

$93.4 £69.6

40.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 £1,133

$1,368 £1,020

11.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 £887

$1,047 £781

13.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,360 £1,760

$2,770 £2,065

-14.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 £1,351

$2,080 £1,551

-12.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,632 £4,199

$4,035 £3,008

39.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,849 £3,616

$2,923 £2,179

65.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,372 £2,514

$3,339 £2,489

0.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

4.79

3.55%

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

Last update for Southampton: October 24, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Southampton

$1.2K 44.8%

Glasgow

$1K 43.2% 12% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southampton

$410 15.4%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 8.5% $35

Eating Out

Southampton

$384 14.5%

Glasgow

$317 13.1% 17.6% $67

Groceries & Markets

Southampton

$320 12.1%

Glasgow

$311 12.8% 3% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Southampton

$176 6.6%

Glasgow

$170 7% 3.2% $5.6

Getting Around

Southampton

$105 4%

Glasgow

$135 5.6% 28.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Southampton

$70 2.6%

Glasgow

$70 2.9% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,520 in Southampton 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 $90 in Southampton versus $67 in Glasgow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $311 – making Glasgow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southampton

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

Same time as Southampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,600

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

Southampton Glasgow 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Southampton
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

Southampton vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,655 in Southampton, $2,425 in Glasgow – Glasgow comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,982 per month in Southampton 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 $1,520 in Southampton.

Kindergarten costs $1,886 per month in Southampton 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 3% more in Southampton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,655 in Southampton and $2,425 in Glasgow, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Southampton has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,425 in Glasgow to $2,655 in Southampton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.