Cost of Living in Edinburgh, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $2,802 $1,801 $2,936 $1,134 $167

Utilities — $280 $454 $247 —

Internet & Mobile $87 $73 $113 $60 $7

Groceries $160 $427 $867 $320 $11

Transportation $120 $107 $200 $83 $20

Dining Out $1,134 $507 $667 $147 $87

Leisure Activities $467 $294 $600 $133 $33

Health Insurance $80 $113 $214 — —

Visa & Legal Fees — $67 $100 — —

Total $4,850 $3,669 $6,151 $2,124 $325

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Personal Care

Laundry $24.02 per kg

Haircut $37.36 per visit

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $0.00 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $10.01 per purchase

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $1,801.47 per month

Coworking Space $300.25 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $3,736.39 per month

Coliving Space $1,467.87 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $4.87 per cup

Beer $7.74 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $21.35 per meal

Fast Food Combo $11.34 per meal

Apples $3.20 per kg

Bread $1.80 per loaf

Milk $1.67 per liter

Rice $2.47 per kg

Chicken Fillets $10.01 per kg

Beef $16.68 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $13.34 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $93.41 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $1.53 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $5.34 per trip

Taxi per km $2.47 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $82.73 per month

Gasoline $2.03 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $16.01 per trip

Scooter Rental $13.34 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $24.02 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $42.70 per month

Gym Membership $60.05 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $18.68 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $20.02 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $16.68 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $100.08 per pair

Summer Dress $46.70 per dress

Running Shoes $113.43 per pair

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 0.7494 GBP

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Edinburgh cost of living