Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bedford and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Bedford: $2,097 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Bedford
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Bedford Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Bedford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,097

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bedford 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 Bedford and in Edinburgh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,097 per month in Bedford vs $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Bedford $2,097
Edinburgh $2,617

A couple spends around $3,291 per month in Bedford vs $3,956 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Bedford $3,291
Edinburgh $3,956

A family of three spends $4,486 per month in Bedford vs $5,295 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Bedford $4,486
Edinburgh $5,295

Bedford is about 20% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bedford and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Bedford by 55%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.10 £15.08

$23.64 £17.73

-14.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 £65.0

$104 £78.2

-16.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 £7.99

$10.48 £7.86

1.62%

Cappuccino

$4.59 £3.44

$5.08 £3.81

-9.65%

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

$2.03 £1.52

$2.50 £1.87

-18.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 £0.91

$2.15 £1.61

-43.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 £4.84

$8.06 £6.04

-19.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 £4.38

$8.13 £6.10

-28.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.68 £1.26

1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 £1.10

$2.29 £1.71

-36.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.25 £1.69

-25.33%

Eggs

$3.80 £2.85

$5.05 £3.79

-24.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 £6.82

$9.05 £6.79

0.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 £6.72

$9.49 £7.12

-5.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.62 £9.47

$16.12 £12.10

-21.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 £2.44

$3.05 £2.29

6.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.93 £1.45

-32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 £1.85

$3.36 £2.52

-26.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.68 £2.76

-13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 £0.99

$2.07 £1.55

-36.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.54 £1.16

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 £0.77

$1.25 £0.94

-17.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 £0.97

$1.94 £1.45

-32.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.05 £17.29

$23.67 £17.76

-2.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.65 £7.99

$11.13 £8.35

-4.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 £1.94

$3.22 £2.42

-19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 £1.77

$3.19 £2.40

-26.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 £1.92

$3.20 £2.40

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 £3.74

$5.18 £3.89

-3.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.86 £1.40

-23.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 £17.95

$28.69 £21.52

-16.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$2.14 £1.60

-10.28%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$38.6K £29.0K

-3.04%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$41.2K £30.9K

-1.55%

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

$316 £237

$330 £248

-4.24%

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

$17.63 £13.22

$16.39 £12.30

7.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.85 £29.90

$42.15 £31.63

-5.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.86 £27.66

$44.13 £33.11

-16.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 £11.93

$14.30 £10.73

11.19%

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

$937 £703

$1,759 £1,319

-46.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.2K

$25.4K £19.0K

-14.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.92 £17.95

$80.6 £60.4

-70.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.54 £19.16

$49.45 £37.10

-48.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 £59.7

$106 £79.2

-24.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 £65.1

$115 £86.0

-24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 £837

$1,611 £1,209

-30.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 £714

$1,185 £889

-19.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,353 £1,766

$2,738 £2,054

-14.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 £1,499

$2,106 £1,580

-5.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,170 £2,378

$3,522 £2,642

-9.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.67

4.77

-2.10%

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

Last update for Bedford: October 11, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bedford

$952 45.4%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 24.4% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bedford

$374 17.8%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 4% $15

Eating Out

Bedford

$305 14.5%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 17% $52

Groceries & Markets

Bedford

$279 13.3%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 19.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Bedford

$97 4.6%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 62.3% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Bedford

$69 3.3%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 5.9% $4

Getting Around

Bedford

$22 * 1.1%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 454% $102

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,115 in Bedford versus $1,611 in Edinburgh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 11% higher in Edinburgh, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Bedford versus $104 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $333 – making Bedford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bedford

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

Same time as Bedford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,000

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

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Bedford Edinburgh 460 km

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Bedford
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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

Bedford vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edinburgh costs about 25% more than Bedford, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,146 per month in Bedford and $3,925 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bedford, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,097 in Bedford and $2,617 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 25%.

Kindergarten costs $937 per month in Bedford and $1,759 in Edinburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bedford, where all-in costs run around $2,097, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Bedford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bedford costs $2,097 versus $2,617 in Edinburgh. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bedford. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Edinburgh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.