Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Swansea: $2,196 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Swansea
Learn more

Swansea Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
Learn more

Glasgow Living Index

Jump to prices

Swansea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,196

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,196 per month in Swansea vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Swansea $2,196
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Swansea vs $3,706 in Glasgow, rent included.

Swansea $3,130
Glasgow $3,706

A family of three spends $4,065 per month in Swansea vs $4,987 in Glasgow, rent included.

Swansea $4,065
Glasgow $4,987

Swansea is about 9% cheaper than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Swansea and Glasgow sit above the global median – Swansea by 61%, Glasgow by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.41 £15.25

$21.28 £15.90

-4.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 £47.11

$67.2 £50.2

-6.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.82

$10.58 £7.90

-1.04%

Cappuccino

$4.76 £3.56

$4.81 £3.60

-1.04%

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

$2.36 £1.76

$2.26 £1.69

4.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.83 £1.37

-31.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.89 £4.40

$5.48 £4.09

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.38 £4.77

$6.63 £4.96

-3.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.67 £1.25

-19.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.64 £1.22

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.00 £1.50

3.00%

Eggs

$3.52 £2.63

$4.00 £2.99

-12.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.78 £5.82

$9.28 £6.93

-16.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 £6.22

$9.08 £6.79

-8.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.87 £9.61

$16.75 £12.52

-23.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 £1.73

$3.02 £2.26

-23.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.51 £1.13

-17.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.14

$2.91 £2.18

-1.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.67

$3.19 £2.38

11.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 £1.68

$1.93 £1.44

16.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$1.55 £1.16

96.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.13 £0.84

12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.58 £1.18

44.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.35

$23.96 £17.90

-3.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 £7.94

$11.32 £8.46

-6.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 £1.74

$3.37 £2.51

-30.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 £2.54

$3.33 £2.49

2.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.12 £3.08

$3.98 £2.98

3.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.1 £72.5

$108 £80.7

-10.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 £2.95

$5.75 £4.30

-31.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 £2.01

$1.14 £0.85

135.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.33 £24.90

$60.6 £45.28

-45.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.46

$2.09 £1.56

-6.70%

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

$38.9K £29.1K

$39.3K £29.3K

-0.93%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$40.6K £30.4K

-0.39%

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

$306 £229

$312 £233

-1.91%

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

$14.81 £11.07

$20.29 £15.16

-27.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.20 £32.27

$42.05 £31.41

2.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.28 £24.87

$37.31 £27.87

-10.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.52 £11.60

$20.73 £15.49

-25.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 £7.36

$16.26 £12.15

-39.42%

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

$1,777 £1,327

$1,124 £840

58.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 £67.0

$132 £98.6

-32.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 £36.03

$45.81 £34.22

5.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 £91.3

$107 £79.7

14.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 £61.7

$93.4 £69.8

-11.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 £831

$1,368 £1,022

-18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 £666

$1,047 £782

-14.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 £1,120

$2,770 £2,069

-45.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 £999

$2,080 £1,554

-35.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,563 £2,662

$4,035 £3,014

-11.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 £1,953

$2,923 £2,183

-10.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,263 £2,437

$3,339 £2,494

-2.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.04

4.79

26.10%

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

Last update for Swansea: 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

Swansea

$891 40.6%

Glasgow

$1K 43.2% 17.5% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swansea

$364 16.6%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 2.8% $10

Eating Out

Swansea

$309 14.1%

Glasgow

$317 13.1% 2.7% $8.2

Groceries & Markets

Swansea

$293 13.4%

Glasgow

$311 12.8% 5.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Swansea

$154 7%

Glasgow

$170 7% 10.3% $16

Getting Around

Swansea

$131 6%

Glasgow

$135 5.6% 3.4% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Swansea

$53 2.4%

Glasgow

$70 2.9% 31.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,112 in Swansea 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 $63 in Swansea versus $67 in Glasgow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $311 – making Swansea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Swansea

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

Same time as Swansea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

239,000

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

Swansea Glasgow 470 km

From you

Swansea
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

Swansea vs Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,196 in Swansea, $2,425 in Glasgow – Swansea comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,293 per month in Swansea 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 Swansea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,112 there versus $1,368 in Glasgow.

Kindergarten costs $1,777 per month in Swansea 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 6% more in Glasgow, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,196 in Swansea and $2,425 in Glasgow. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Swansea costs $2,196 versus $2,425 in Glasgow. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Swansea is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 9% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.