Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunderland and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunderland: $1,845 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sunderland
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,845
/mo nomad
Glasgow
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,425
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,845 per month in Sunderland vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Sunderland $1,845
  • Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $2,755 per month in Sunderland vs $3,644 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Sunderland $2,755
  • Glasgow $3,644

A family of three spends $3,665 per month in Sunderland vs $4,864 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Sunderland $3,665
  • Glasgow $4,864

Sunderland is about 24% cheaper than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sunderland and Glasgow sit above the global median – Sunderland by 36%, Glasgow by 79%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sunderland
Glasgow
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.54 £13.91
$21.03 £15.78
-11.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.2 £52.7
$66.7 £50.1
5.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.87 £6.66
$10.56 £7.92
-16.00%
Cappuccino
$5.02 £3.77
$4.78 £3.59
5.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 £1.74
$2.27 £1.70
2.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 £1.47
$1.90 £1.42
3.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.63 £3.48
$5.43 £4.08
-14.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 £3.23
$6.76 £5.07
-36.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sunderland
Glasgow
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.65 £1.24
-12.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 £1.03
$1.69 £1.27
-18.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.40 £1.80
$1.98 £1.49
21.21%
Eggs
$3.52 £2.64
$3.93 £2.95
-10.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.72 £7.29
$9.24 £6.93
5.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.99 £6.74
$9.29 £6.97
-3.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.35 £10.76
$16.82 £12.62
-14.68%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 £2.44
$2.99 £2.24
9.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 £1.39
$1.49 £1.12
24.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.92 £2.19
$2.89 £2.17
1.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.79 £2.84
$3.22 £2.42
17.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 £1.34
$1.97 £1.47
-9.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 £1.11
$1.59 £1.19
-6.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 £0.90
$1.19 £0.89
0.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 £1.13
$1.64 £1.23
-8.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.99 £17.25
$23.68 £17.76
-2.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.19 £7.65
$11.13 £8.35
-8.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.57 £2.68
$3.39 £2.54
5.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 £2.62
$3.44 £2.58
1.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Sunderland
Glasgow
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.08 £1.56
$4.07 £3.05
-48.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$119 £89.6
$103 £77.5
15.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.40 £3.30
$6.03 £4.52
-27.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 £1.16
$1.16 £0.87
33.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.14 £21.11
$62.0 £46.48
-54.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 £1.57
$2.15 £1.62
-2.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.8K
$39.3K £29.5K
-2.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K £30.4K
$39.7K £29.8K
2.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sunderland
Glasgow
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$248 £186
$315 £236
-21.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.93 £12.70
$20.19 £15.15
-16.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.31 £31.74
$43.28 £32.47
-2.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sunderland
Glasgow
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.70 £30.53
$46.26 £34.71
-12.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.01 £9.01
$20.34 £15.26
-40.95%
Cinema Ticket
$10.66 £8.00
$16.23 £12.17
-34.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sunderland
Glasgow
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$819 £614
$905 £679
-9.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K £13.2K
$21.6K £16.2K
-18.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sunderland
Glasgow
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.1 £68.4
$135 £102
-32.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.14 £35.37
$46.32 £34.75
1.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 £81.4
$108 £80.9
0.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.7 £71.1
$93.1 £69.9
1.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sunderland
Glasgow
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$792 £594
$1,350 £1,013
-41.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$595 £446
$1,036 £778
-42.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,356 £1,017
$2,680 £2,011
-49.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$957 £718
$1,941 £1,456
-50.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,064 £3,049
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,073 £2,306
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sunderland
Glasgow
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,663 £2,748
$3,420 £2,566
7.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.15
4.79
7.52%

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

Last update for Sunderland: October 20, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sunderland
$595
Glasgow
$1K 74.2% $442
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sunderland
$307
Glasgow
$378 23.1% $71
Groceries & Markets
Sunderland
$303
Glasgow
$313 3.2% $9.6
Eating Out
Sunderland
$284
Glasgow
$315 10.8% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Sunderland
$154
Glasgow
$172 12.1% $19
Getting Around
Sunderland
$140
Glasgow
$131 6.1% $8.5
Sport & Entertainment
Sunderland
$62
Glasgow
$79 26.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $792 in Sunderland 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 7% higher in Sunderland, 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 $70.0 in Sunderland versus $67.0 in Glasgow. Groceries tell a different story – $303 in Sunderland vs $313 in Glasgow – so Sunderland wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Sunderland
🇬🇧 Glasgow
🕒 Local time
05:35 5:35 AM
05:35 5:35 AM
Same time as Sunderland
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
275,300
606,340
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 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
  • Sunderland Glasgow 210 km
From you
  • Sunderland
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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
Sunderland vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Sunderland and in Glasgow compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,845 in Sunderland, $2,425 in Glasgow – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Sunderland compared to Glasgow?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,768 per month in Sunderland 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 Sunderland and Glasgow?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sunderland, 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 Sunderland and Glasgow?
Kindergarten costs $819 per month in Sunderland 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?
Groceries cost about 3% more in Glasgow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sunderland, where all-in costs run around $1,845, than in Glasgow at $2,425. In Sunderland it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glasgow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Sunderland and Glasgow?
It depends on your priorities. Glasgow has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,845 in Sunderland to $2,425 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Sunderland and Glasgow?
If budget matters most, go with Sunderland. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Glasgow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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