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Glasgow vs. Newcastle: Which city is cheaper?
Considering either Newcastle and Glasgow as a place to settle down? One of your top considerations is probably how much it will cost you to maintain a good life there.
In this article, we’ll be comparing the cost of living in Newcastle and Glasgow. So, if they’re in your list of top spots to migrate to, read on!
Is Newcastle cheaper than Glasgow?
On average, living in Newcastle is 13.42% cheaper than living in Glasgow. Newcastle’s average monthly cost of living is £1,091, compared to Glasgow’s £1,248.
Check out the detailed cost ranges of daily necessities in each city below:
Expense Type | Glasgow | Newcastle |
Dining Out | £1.41 – £13.9 | £1.51 – £42.6 |
Rent & Utilities | £27.7 – £4,555 | £22.6 – £3,686 |
Transportation | £2.45 – £75.2 | £2.45 – £66.7 |
Groceries | £9.87 – £26.5 | £0.88 – £12 |
Sports and Leisure | £10.00 – £27.75 | £3.30 – £25.5 |
Childcare | £698 – £11,816 | £972 – £14,731 |
Education | £12,846-£19,920 | £9,250-£15,369 |
Clothing and Other Expenses | £11.2- £81.5 | £6.5 – £74.5 |
Let’s go over each expense in more detail.
1. Dining Out
In terms of dining out, Newcastle is cheaper than Glasgow. Take a look at the difference in average prices below:
Expense Type | Glasgow | Newcastle |
Lunch Menu | £13.9 | £9.65 |
Dinner in a Restaurant (for 2) | £55 | £42.7 |
Fast Food Meal | £5.81 | £5.92 |
Beer in a Pub (0.5 L or 16 fl oz) | £3.93 | £3.9 |
Cappuccino | £2.83 | £3.06 |
Pepsi / Coke (0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz) | £1.41 | £1.51 |
Although Newcastle has higher prices in other areas, Glasgow tends to be costlier in most.
2. Rent & Utilities
As for rent and utilities, Glasgow still remains higher-priced compared to Newcastle.
Expense Type | Glasgow | Newcastle |
1-Bedroom Apartment in City Center (40 m² or 430 ft²) | £690 | £609 |
Cheap 1-Bedroom Apartment (40 m² or 430 ft²) | £529 | £432 |
3-Bedroom Apartment in City Center (80 m² or 860 ft²) | £1,370 | £1,278 |
Cheap 3-Bedroom Apartment (80 m² or 860 ft²) | £968 | £748 |
Utility Bill for One Person | £95.6 | £103 |
Utility Bill for Family | £145 | £159 |
Internet Plan | £27.7 | £22.7 |
Meanwhile, here are the differences in expense when buying an apartment or house in Glasgow and Newcastle:
Expense Type | Glasgow | Newcastle |
Apartment in city centre (per 1 m2 or 10 ft2) | £690 | £3,698 |
House price in suburbs (per 1 m2 or 10 ft2) | £529 | £2,192 |
Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years (Yearly) | 3.24% | 3.01% |
3. Transportation
Glasgow and Newcastle have almost the same modes of transportation, such as bus, subway, taxi and bicycle – except for e-scooters, which are only often used in Newcastle.
Here are the modes of transportation per city and their corresponding fare:
Mode of Transportation | Glasgow | Newcastle |
Bus | £2 | £2 |
Subway | £2 | £3.30 – £5.40 |
Taxi | £15 | £2.20 – £15.30 |
Bicycle | £1 – £10 | £10 – £25 |
E-scooters | – | £1.00 |
Car (1 L or 0.26 gal of Gas) | £1.54 | £1.55 |
On average, Glasgow’s monthly expenses for local ticket transport are higher than Newcastle by 11.98%. Glasgow falls at £75.2, while Newcastle has £66.7.
4. Groceries
While Newcastle tends to be cheaper in this aspect than Glasgow, they do have a handful of higher-priced items, such as cheese, tomato, and onions.
To give you a bigger background, below is the difference in grocery item prices between Glasgow and Newcastle:
Expense Type | Glasgow | Newcastle |
Milk (1 L or 1 qt) | £0.93 | £0.9 |
Bread (0.5 kg or 1.1 lb) | £1.03 | £0.88 |
Rice (1 kg or 2.2 lb) | £1.03 | £1.07 |
Eggs (One Dozen) | £2.03 | £2.11 |
Cheese (1 kg or 2.2 lb) | £5.82 | £6.85 |
Chicken Breast (1 kg or 2.2 lb) | £5.62 | £5.57 |
Round Steak (1 kg or 2.2 lb) | £8.52 | £7.65 |
Apples (1 kg or 2.2 lb) | £1.73 | £1.61 |
Banana (1 kg or 2.2 lb) | £0.94 | £1.33 |
Oranges (1 kg or 2.2 lb) | £1.48 | £1.65 |
Tomato (1 kg or 2.2 lb) | £1.51 | £2.48 |
Potato (1 kg or 2.2 lb) | £0.94 | £0.85 |
Onion (1 kg or 2.2 lb) | £0.89 | £1 |
Water (1 L or 1 qt) | £0.66 | £0.51 |
Coca-Cola / Pepsi (2 L or 67.6 fl oz) | £2 | £1.69 |
Wine (mid-priced – 750 mL bottle) | £6.87 | £7.01 |
Beer (0.5 L or 16 fl oz) | £1.67 | £1.54 |
Cigarette Pack | £12.3 | £12.1 |
Cold Medicine (1 week) | £2.25 | £4.31 |
Hair Shampoo | £3 | £3.19 |
Toilet Paper (4 rolls) | £1.77 | £1.94 |
Toothpaste (1 tube) | £1.76 | £1.03 |
5. Sports and Leisure
In the sports and leisure department, Glasgow is more expensive than Newcastle.
Apart from gym membership, cinema tickets and dance classes, Newcastle has higher prices compared to Glasgow.
Below are the most common sports and leisure activities in each city:
Expense Type | Glasgow | Newcastle |
Gym Membership (1 month) | £26.5 | £25.6 |
Cinema Ticket (1 person) | £9.87 | £10.4 |
Football Ticket (cheapest) | £16 | £13 |
Swimming Programs | £17-£27 | £3.30-£5.50 |
Dance Classes | £21/hour | £24/hour |
Singing Lessons | £25/hour | £24/hour |
6. Childcare
Moving to the childcare sector, Newcastle provides infant childcare learning hours, which gives them an edge over Glasgow. Glasgow only accepts children aged 2 and above, while 4-month-olds are already entitled to childcare in Newcastle.
Childcare is a vast term which is often interchanged with day care. However, these two are different.
To be specific, childcare has various formats, such as family child care homes, child care centres, preschool programmes and school-age programmes.
There are also private child care centres providing quality learning in Newcastle and Glasgow alike.
For private centres, Newcastle is costlier than Glasgow by 17.88%. Glasgow’s child care expenses range from £698-£12,404, while Newcastle’s are at £972-£15,369.
Here is the detailed breakdown:
Expense Type | Glasgow | Newcastle |
Daycare or Preschool (1 month) | £698 | £972 |
International Primary School (1 year) | £11,816 | £14,731 |
Private or independent day schools | £12,404 | £15,369 |
7. Education
In terms of formal education, Glasgow and Newcastle vary in average cost. From preschool to secondary, Newcastle is costlier than Glasgow by 17.89%, while in postsecondary studies, Newcastle falls cheaper by 73.16%.
Here is the detailed average tuition fees per city:
Glasgow | Newcastle | |
Average tuition fee per year (preschool to secondary) | £12,846 | £15,369 |
Average tuition fee per year (postsecondary) | £19,920 | £9,250 |
8. Clothing and Other Expenses
Even in clothing and other expenses, Glasgow shows costlier prices than Newcastle.
Here are the average prices of some expense type between the two:
Expense Type | Glasgow | Newcastle |
Branded Jeans | £61.4 | £49.8 |
Branded Sneakers | £66.5 | £70.8 |
Haircut | £11.2 | £6.52 |
Doctor’s Visit | £81.5 | £74.7 |
FAQs about living in Glasgow
FAQs about living in Newcastle
Whichever city you choose, we hope we have helped in deciding the most suitable city for you. Aside from these, you can also check other things to do in Glasgow and Newcastle here on our website!