Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bath and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,601 a month against $2,794 in Bath, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bath outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

134

Cost of Living Index in Bath
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Bath Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Bath

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,794

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bath and in Edinburgh

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bath and in Edinburgh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,794 in Bath versus $2,601 in Edinburgh.

Bath $2,794
Edinburgh $2,601

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,002 in Bath versus $3,985 in Edinburgh.

Bath $4,002
Edinburgh $3,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,210 in Bath versus $5,369 in Edinburgh.

Bath $5,210
Edinburgh $5,369

Living in Bath is roughly 7% more expensive than in Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bath 106% above, Edinburgh 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.73 £17.80

$23.67 £17.76

0.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £75.8

$108 £81.4

-6.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.09

$10.71 £8.04

0.65%

Cappuccino

$5.14 £3.86

$5.25 £3.94

-2.10%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 £1.95

$2.48 £1.86

4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$2.17 £1.63

-14.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 £5.86

$7.94 £5.96

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.46 £4.85

$8.00 £6.00

-19.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.18

$1.69 £1.27

-7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.28

$2.35 £1.77

-27.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$2.36 £1.77

-14.41%

Eggs

$4.24 £3.18

$4.96 £3.72

-14.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 £6.36

$9.20 £6.91

-7.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.69 £7.27

$9.33 £7.00

3.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 £9.79

$15.79 £11.85

-17.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 £3.16

$3.01 £2.26

40.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.88 £1.41

-3.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 £2.03

$3.42 £2.57

-20.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 £3.00

$3.67 £2.75

8.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.01 £1.51

3.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.55 £1.16

10.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.32 £0.99

-7.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.93 £1.45

1.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.05 £17.29

$23.23 £17.43

-0.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.68 £8.01

$11.20 £8.40

-4.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 £2.14

$3.12 £2.34

-8.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.27 £2.46

-2.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 £2.67

$3.14 £2.35

13.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$127 £95.6

$97.0 £72.8

31.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 £2.52

$5.43 £4.08

-38.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.82 £1.37

-6.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.26 £19.70

$28.32 £21.25

-7.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.8K £28.4K

$38.6K £28.9K

-1.91%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.3K £30.3K

$39.9K £29.9K

1.22%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$300 £225

$328 £246

-8.50%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$19.61 £14.71

$16.47 £12.36

19.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.83 £29.13

$42.32 £31.75

-8.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 £33.88

$44.41 £33.32

1.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.59 £14.70

$23.05 £17.30

-15.01%

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 £11.28

$14.39 £10.79

4.45%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,631 £1,224

$1,775 £1,331

-8.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K £18.9K

$25.6K £19.2K

-1.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.6 £62.7

$81.2 £60.9

2.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.68 £23.02

$49.04 £36.79

-37.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 £74.3

$108 £81.2

-8.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 £62.2

$115 £85.9

-27.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 £1,353

$1,600 £1,200

12.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 £1,055

$1,168 £876

20.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,506 £2,630

$2,803 £2,103

25.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 £1,579

$2,155 £1,617

-2.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,965 £7,476

$6,714 £5,037

48.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,723 £5,043

$4,715 £3,538

42.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,687 £2,766

$3,558 £2,669

3.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

4.77

7.13%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bath: October 18, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bath

$1.4K 50.3%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 16.9% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bath

$359 12.8%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 7.9% $28

Eating Out

Bath

$354 12.7%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 1.4% $5

Groceries & Markets

Bath

$314 11.2%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 5.8% $18

Getting Around

Bath

$154 5.5%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 19.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Bath

$133 4.8%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 19.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bath

$75 2.7%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 2.7% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,804 in Bath and $1,600 in Edinburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bath pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $101 in Bath vs $108 in Edinburgh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $332 per month, with Bath cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bath

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

Same time as Bath

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,859

488,050

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bath Edinburgh 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bath
Edinburgh

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bath vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edinburgh is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Bath, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,804 in Bath versus $1,600 in Edinburgh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,794 per month in Bath versus $2,601 in Edinburgh – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Edinburgh runs roughly 31% less than in Bath. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Edinburgh is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Edinburgh is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bath, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bath and Edinburgh are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Edinburgh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Bath. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.