Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Glasgow vs Southampton in 2026: cost index 90 vs 110, rent £850 vs £1,050, income £31,000 vs £33,500, QoL 62 vs 57.
Glasgow vs Southampton in 2026: cost index 90 vs 110, rent £850 vs £1,050, income £31,000 vs £33,500, QoL 62 vs 57.
Glasgow ranks #1 with a cost index of 90 and rent of £850/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 100 (+1 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 60/100. Top: Glasgow at 62/100.
Safest city: Southampton (60/100 safety score).
Here's where the conversation shifts from 'affordable' to 'strategic': Glasgow stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 90 and median income of £31,000, it offers below-average costs relative to the rest of United Kingdom. That's a strong position by any measure.
On quality of life, Glasgow leads with a composite score of 62/100 — reflecting its safety (52), healthcare (74), and walkability (78) 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.
The country average QoL score is 61/100. Glasgow leads with 62/100, reflecting its 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 90 and rent of £850/mo. Southampton (#2) has index 110 and rent £1,050/mo — a 20-point gap.