Edinburgh vs Glasgow: cost of living compared
On a £50k salary, the cheaper of the two saves you hundreds a month on essentials. Adjust the salary slider below to see how the gap shifts at your income — everything else (single renter, public transport, UK 2024/25 tax) is held constant.
Based on current UK tax rules and city cost benchmarks. Updated regularly.
Compare different cities
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Glasgow
You save approximately £343/month living in Glasgow vs Edinburgh — about £4,116 a year on essentials.
Where the money goes
Monthly spend per category. Cheaper bar is highlighted.
- RentΔ £300Edinburgh£1,250Glasgow£950
- BillsΔ £13Edinburgh£378Glasgow£365
- FoodΔ £15Edinburgh£285Glasgow£270
- TransportΔ £0Edinburgh£65Glasgow£65
Side-by-side monthly breakdown
Edinburgh vs Glasgow on the same salary, same household assumptions. The cheaper city in each row is highlighted.
| Category | Edinburgh | Glasgow |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home pay | £3,293 | £3,293 |
| Rent / housing | £1,250 | £950 |
| Bills | £378 | £365 |
| Food | £285 | £270 |
| Transport | £65 | £65 |
| Lifestyle & misc | £235 | £220 |
| Total essentials | £2,213 | £1,870 |
| Disposable left | £1,080 | £1,423 |
- Take-home payTied
- Rent / housing+£300Cheaper in Glasgow
- Bills+£13Cheaper in Glasgow
- Food+£15Cheaper in Glasgow
- TransportTied
- Lifestyle & misc+£15Cheaper in Glasgow
- Total essentials+£343Cheaper in Glasgow
- Disposable left-£343More for Glasgow
How Edinburgh and Glasgow stack up
Edinburgh. Edinburgh has the highest rents in Scotland and is now within touching distance of southern English cities for housing cost. Housing is the squeeze, and Scottish higher-rate tax kicks in earlier than in England — both compress disposable income above ~£43k.
Glasgow. Glasgow combines low rent with Scottish income tax bands, which slightly reduces take-home for higher earners compared to England. Scottish tax bands bite above ~£43k. Below that, take-home is similar to England — and rent is lower than most English cities.
Compare Edinburgh with another city
Reality Score weighs take-home pay against essentials and any savings commitment to gauge how sustainable the setup is.
What this means
Comfortable. You can manage your expenses and maintain moderate savings.
Reality Score weighs take-home pay against essentials and any savings commitment to gauge how sustainable the setup is.
What this means
Comfortable. You can manage your expenses and maintain moderate savings.
What this actually means
- Edinburgh: You could realistically save around £540/month. Over 5 years that's £32,400 before any investment growth.
- Glasgow: You could realistically save around £712/month. Over 5 years that's £42,720 before any investment growth.
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Reality Score for this scenario: 81/100 — Comfortable
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These figures are estimates and may vary based on individual circumstances.
- Based on UK cost benchmarks
- Updated regularly
- Indicative estimates, not financial advice