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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Ranking of cities in Scotland for 2026. Glasgow leads with a cost index of 95 and rent of £960/month.
Glasgow ranks #1 with a cost index of 95 and rent of £960/month.
The median city is Aberdeen — cost index 98, rent £810/mo.
Average cost index across these cities: 101 (-2 vs national average of 103).
Average quality of life: 63/100. Top: Glasgow at 60/100.
Safest city: Edinburgh (72/100 safety score).
Here's the surprising part: Glasgow stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 95 and median income of £32,600, it offers below-average costs relative to the rest of United Kingdom. This combination is rare — and valuable.
On quality of life, Aberdeen leads with a composite score of 65/100 — reflecting its safety (70), healthcare (76), and walkability (68) metrics. But here's the flip side: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
Glasgow — cost index 95, rent £960/mo, income £32,600, QoL 60/100.
Aberdeen — cost index 98, rent £810/mo, income £35,800, QoL 65/100.
Edinburgh — cost index 110, rent £1,220/mo, income £37,000, QoL 65/100.
Glasgow ranks #1 in Scotland for this analysis with a cost index of 95 and median income of £32,600.
The region average QoL score is 60/100. Glasgow leads with 60/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include ONS, Land Registry, HMRC.
Glasgow (ranked #1) has a cost index of 95 and rent of £960/mo. Edinburgh (#3) has index 110 and rent £1,220/mo — a 15-point gap.
This analysis uses data from ONS, Land Registry, HMRC to rank cities in United Kingdom. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.