As Scotland’s biggest city, there are many pros and cons to living in Glasgow, and in this article, we’re going to outline them all. That way, by the end of this read, you’ll have a crystal-clear idea of whether or not Glasgow is a place that you’d want to live in.
But before we go into the pros and cons, we’d first like to go over what the quality of life is like in Glasgow, whether it’s a place worth living in, where not to live in Glasgow, and other areas of key importance to someone who’s considering moving to Scotland’s largest city.
What Is The Quality Of Life In Glasgow?
To accurately measure the quality of life in Glasgow, we had to take a few things into consideration, including:
- Purchasing Power
- Safety
- Health Care
- Climate
- Cost of Living
- Property Price to Income Ratio
- Traffic Commute Time
- Pollution
According to Numbeo, Glasgow’s quality of life index is 174.13, which is considered very high. When compared to other major cities in the UK, such as London, Liverpool, and Manchester, Glasgow is easily on top of that list.
Is It Worth Living In Glasgow?
That would certainly depend on what you’re looking to get out of living in the big city. Being the largest city in Scotland, Glasgow is a particularly popular destination for individuals across all age groups looking at starting a new and more vibrant way of living. This is particularly true for the ones who have lived all their life in rural Scotland, which would be any place except Glasgow and Edinburgh.
In our opinion, Glasgow is definitely worth moving to. And just because you’re in Glasgow, that doesn’t mean you have to deal with the hustle and bustle of the city life on a daily basis. There are plenty of areas that are not too far away from the city centre, which offer a very laid-back and relaxing way of living.
Where Not To Live In Glasgow?
As is the case with any major city, there are areas that you’d want to avoid. In Glasgow, those areas include Possilpark, Govan, Calton, Drumchapel, Maryhill, and Parkhead, to name a few. These areas regularly struggle with gang-related violence and drug-related crimes, making them unsafe for the average person who is trying to live a normal life.
Are People in Glasgow Friendly?
Like anywhere, you will run into both friendly and outgoing as well as more conservative types of individuals. However, generally speaking, we believe that the people of Glasgow are generally far more open-minded and willing to start new friendships than people from other, more rural parts of Scotland.
Recently, data came out from the Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Awards (2022) and Time Out Index (2022), stating that Glasgow has been topping the charts as one of the world’s friendliest cities. So, as far as friendliness goes, you certainly can’t go wrong with choosing to start a new life in a city like Glasgow.
What Is Crime Like In Glasgow?
The crime index in Glasgow (according to Numbeo) is 45.08 out of possible 100. In other words, the crime levels in Glasgow are not great, and the worst part is that in some areas, gang and drug-related crimes are on the rise.
When it comes to the types of crimes that take place in Glasgow, the biggest one by far is the problem of people using or dealing drugs. In second and third, the biggest crimes that take place across Glasgow are vandalism and theft.
Why Do People Move To Glasgow?
Glasgow is home to over 630,000 people, many of whom aren’t originally from the area. And as one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK, you can only expect the reasons why people move to Glasgow to be extremely varied. So, below, we’ll go over some of the most popular reasons why people have chosen to move from the countryside to Scotland’s biggest city.
- To seek new career opportunities
- To study at a major university
- To live a more vibrant and exciting life
- To be around more accepting and friendly individuals
- To be close to good education facilities for their children
Pros Of Living In Glasgow
There are many pros of living in Glasgow, some of which include:
Property Prices Are Still Low
The average property price in Glasgow is just £208,557. This is over £100,000 less than the average property in the UK, which in September 2022 sold for £311,000. This opens up a great opportunity for people who are looking at buying their first home in Glasgow, as properties in the area are still affordable.
That said, Glasgow properties have been on the rise in the last couple of years, so if you buy now and hold your property for some time, rest assured that you’ll have no issue with selling your house fast when the time comes. This is especially true as Glasgow is only continuing to grow both in size and economy.
There Are Plenty of Green Areas
As is the case with most of Scotland, Glasgow is home to a large variety of green areas that the locals love. Should you decide to make Glasgow your home, some of the green spaces you should definitely pay a visit include Kelvingrove Park, Rouken Glen Park, and Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Please note that there are dozens more incredible green areas that are definitely worth a visit and can be all you need to get out of the big city without actually leaving it.
Cons Of Living In Glasgow
As one of the biggest cities in the UK, there are also some drawbacks to living in Glasgow, including:
It’s Grey, Windy, and Rainy
Glasgow’s weather is definitely not one of the city’s strong suits. If you like the sun and being outside on a daily basis, you can almost forget about it when you move to Glasgow. In the winter (especially), temperatures often drop to single digits, and sometimes, rain and wind are present for weeks at a time.
Overall, Glasgow is a fantastic place to live. The quality of life is generally considered to be much higher than in all other major cities in the UK (except Edinburgh). And all you really need to try and do to have a great experience living in Glasgow is to avoid the areas that are renowned for their gang-related and drug-related crimes. And fortunately, those are pretty easy to avoid since they are so well known.
