Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey, United Kingdom and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $3,025 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Surrey, United Kingdom
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Surrey
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,025
/mo nomad
Glasgow
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,425
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,025 per month in Surrey vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Surrey $3,025
  • Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $4,456 per month in Surrey vs $3,706 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Surrey $4,456
  • Glasgow $3,706

A family of three spends $5,887 per month in Surrey vs $4,987 in Glasgow, rent included.

  • Surrey $5,887
  • Glasgow $4,987

Surrey costs about 25% more than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Surrey and Glasgow sit above the global median – Surrey by 122%, Glasgow by 78%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Surrey
Glasgow
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.47 £17.66
$21.28 £16.02
10.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.5 £44.75
$67.2 £50.6
-11.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.62 £7.24
$10.58 £7.96
-9.07%
Cappuccino
$4.77 £3.59
$4.81 £3.62
-0.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 £1.70
$2.26 £1.70
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 £1.11
$1.83 £1.38
-19.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.54 £4.92
$5.48 £4.12
19.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.15 £4.63
$6.63 £4.99
-7.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Surrey
Glasgow
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 £0.99
$1.67 £1.25
-21.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 £1.58
$1.64 £1.23
28.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 £1.21
$2.00 £1.51
-20.00%
Eggs
$4.15 £3.13
$4.00 £3.01
3.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.62 £6.49
$9.28 £6.99
-7.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 £7.02
$9.08 £6.84
2.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.52 £12.43
$16.75 £12.61
-1.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.19 £2.40
$3.02 £2.27
5.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 £1.12
$1.51 £1.14
-1.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 £1.53
$2.91 £2.19
-30.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.26 £2.45
$3.19 £2.40
2.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.38 £1.04
$1.93 £1.45
-28.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.79 £1.35
$1.55 £1.17
15.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.06
$1.13 £0.85
23.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 £0.88
$1.58 £1.19
-25.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.32 £17.55
$23.96 £18.03
-2.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.47 £7.88
$11.32 £8.52
-7.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.67
$3.37 £2.53
-34.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 £1.88
$3.33 £2.51
-24.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Surrey
Glasgow
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.90 £2.93
$3.98 £3.00
-2.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$108 £81.3
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.22 £3.93
$5.75 £4.33
-9.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.14 £0.86
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$60.6 £45.62
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.93 £1.45
$2.09 £1.57
-7.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K £28.7K
$39.3K £29.6K
-2.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.8K
$40.6K £30.6K
0.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surrey
Glasgow
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$263 £198
$312 £235
-15.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.29 £10.00
$20.29 £15.27
-34.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.87 £27.00
$42.05 £31.65
-14.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Surrey
Glasgow
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.7 £39.69
$37.31 £28.08
41.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.44 £13.88
$20.73 £15.60
-11.05%
Cinema Ticket
$13.07 £9.84
$16.26 £12.24
-19.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Surrey
Glasgow
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,137 £1,609
$1,124 £846
90.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.9K £22.5K
$21.6K £16.3K
38.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Surrey
Glasgow
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.7 £39.69
$132 £99.3
-60.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.02 £30.12
$45.81 £34.48
-12.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.4 £65.8
$107 £80.2
-18.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.0 £70.0
$93.4 £70.3
-0.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Surrey
Glasgow
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,945 £1,463
$1,368 £1,030
42.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,864 £1,403
$1,047 £788
77.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,308 £2,489
$2,770 £2,084
19.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,400 £2,559
$2,080 £1,565
63.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,035 £3,037
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,255 £5,460
$2,923 £2,200
148.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Surrey
Glasgow
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,565 £3,436
$3,339 £2,513
36.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.4
4.79
12.73%

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

Last update for Surrey: October 27, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Surrey
$1.9K
Glasgow
$1K 43.8% $817
Eating Out
Surrey
$334
Glasgow
$317 5.1% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surrey
$312
Glasgow
$375 20.2% $63
Groceries & Markets
Surrey
$293
Glasgow
$311 6.1% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Surrey
$123
Glasgow
$170 38.3% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Surrey
$79
Glasgow
$70 11.5% $9.1
Getting Around
Surrey
$21 *
Glasgow
$135 551% $115

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,945 in Surrey 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 37% higher in Surrey. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Surrey versus $67 in Glasgow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $311 – making Surrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Surrey
🇬🇧 Glasgow
🕒 Local time
14:58 2:58 PM
14:58 2:58 PM
Same time as Surrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
585
606,340
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Surrey Glasgow 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Surrey
  • 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
Surrey vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Surrey and in Glasgow compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,025 in Surrey, $2,425 in Glasgow – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Surrey compared to Glasgow?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,538 per month in Surrey 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 Surrey and Glasgow?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Glasgow, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,368 there versus $1,945 in Surrey.
Which city is more expensive overall: Surrey or Glasgow?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,025 in Surrey and $2,425 in Glasgow. That’s a gap of about 25%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Surrey and Glasgow?
Kindergarten costs $2,137 per month in Surrey and $1,124 in Glasgow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
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 Surrey at $3,025. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Surrey or Glasgow?
Families tend to lean toward Glasgow – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Surrey and Glasgow?
If budget matters most, go with Glasgow. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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