Glasgow at a glance
- Glasgow ranks 4th of 10 priced cities in United Kingdom on cost: $2,122 a month in essentials, 9% above Belfast, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $3,433 covers that 1.6×.
- 98 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at city level.
- PM2.5 averages 7.3 µg/m³ a year, 1× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 United Kingdom cities we track, so every row says whether Glasgow is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $2,122 | $2,170 | $48 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,038 | $1,106 | $68 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,321 | $1,361 | $40 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $162 | $172 | $10 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $440 | $460 | $20 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $379 | $361 | $18 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $103 | $104 | $0 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $3,433 | $3,352 | $81 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,983 | $1,842 | $141 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $2,689 | $2,527 | $162 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Glasgow, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $22.67 | $21.18 | $1.50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $66.69 | $97.36 | 1.46ร as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $10.00 | $10.46 | $0.46 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $4.81 | $5.08 | $0.27 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $6.40 | $7.54 | $1.14 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $6.67 | $6.67 | same |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $2.27 | $2.59 | $0.32 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $1.82 | $1.94 | $0.12 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.68 | $1.75 | $0.07 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.47 | $1.77 | $0.30 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $2.04 | $2.27 | $0.23 |
| Eggs, 12 | $3.83 | $4.02 | $0.19 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $9.85 | $9.75 | $0.10 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $9.28 | $9.18 | $0.10 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $2.69 | $3.03 | $0.34 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.63 | $1.71 | $0.08 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $3.17 | $3.53 | $0.36 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.80 | $1.87 | $0.07 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.57 | $1.55 | $0.02 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.60 | $1.60 | same |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $4.13 | $3.30 | 1.25ร as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $102.70 | $103.37 | $0.67 |
| Taxi start | $5.87 | $5.07 | $0.80 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.17 | $1.96 | 1.67ร as much |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $2.04 | $2.04 | $0.00 |
| Basic utilities, 85 mยฒ flat | $337.32 | $319.00 | $18.31 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $41.34 | $41.77 | $0.42 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $18.34 | $19.34 | $1.00 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $41.93 | $45.49 | $3.56 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $16.00 | $14.34 | $1.66 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Glasgow has 98 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (city level). That is the 2nd-highest of 8 United Kingdom cities we track. United Kingdom's national figure is 103.2, so Glasgow runs 5 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Glasgow ranks against every city we track
Glasgow sits ahead of 83% of the 545 cities we track on local salary. On clean air it is ahead of 80% of 898. Its weakest measure is cost of living, ahead of only 17% of 542.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Glasgow sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: ็ไธฝๆฑ็ๆฒณๆฐด, CC BY-SA 4.0.
