Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bournemouth and Edinburgh

For one person, living costs are similar in Bournemouth and in Edinburgh: $2,509 and $2,617 a month, rent and utilities included.

122

Cost of Living Index in Bournemouth
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Bournemouth Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Bournemouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,509

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,509 per month in Bournemouth vs $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Bournemouth $2,509
Edinburgh $2,617

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in Bournemouth vs $3,956 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Bournemouth $3,689
Edinburgh $3,956

A family of three spends $4,870 per month in Bournemouth vs $5,295 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Bournemouth $4,870
Edinburgh $5,295

Bournemouth is about 4% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bournemouth and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Bournemouth by 86%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 £15.25

$23.64 £17.73

-14.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £75.6

$104 £78.2

-3.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 £8.76

$10.48 £7.86

11.45%

Cappuccino

$4.76 £3.57

$5.08 £3.81

-6.30%

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

$3.21 £2.41

$2.50 £1.87

28.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.53

$2.15 £1.61

-5.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 £5.09

$8.06 £6.04

-15.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 £5.39

$8.13 £6.10

-11.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.68 £1.26

-4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.16

$2.29 £1.71

-32.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.25 £1.69

-20.00%

Eggs

$4.32 £3.24

$5.05 £3.79

-14.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 £4.68

$9.05 £6.79

-31.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 £6.96

$9.49 £7.12

-2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.68 £9.51

$16.12 £12.10

-21.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 £1.67

$3.05 £2.29

-27.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.93 £1.45

-9.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$3.36 £2.52

-42.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 £1.58

$3.68 £2.76

-42.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$2.07 £1.55

-1.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.54 £1.16

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.25 £0.94

51.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.94 £1.45

-12.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.60 £17.71

$23.67 £17.76

-0.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.36 £7.02

$11.13 £8.35

-15.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 £2.10

$3.22 £2.42

-13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 £1.87

$3.19 £2.40

-21.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.64 £2.73

$3.20 £2.40

13.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.8 £68.1

$96.7 £72.6

-6.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 £2.42

$5.18 £3.89

-37.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 £1.72

$1.86 £1.40

23.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.25 £24.20

$28.69 £21.52

12.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$2.14 £1.60

-7.01%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.6K £29.0K

-1.22%

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

$40.0K £30.0K

$41.2K £30.9K

-2.93%

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

$353 £265

$330 £248

6.94%

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

$16.19 £12.14

$16.39 £12.30

-1.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.90 £32.18

$42.15 £31.63

1.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.33 £28.00

$44.13 £33.11

-15.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.71 £8.78

$23.04 £17.28

-49.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.19 £12.90

$14.30 £10.73

20.21%

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

$2,218 £1,664

$1,759 £1,319

26.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.8K £25.4K

$25.4K £19.0K

33.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 £66.6

$80.6 £60.4

10.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.86 £32.90

$49.45 £37.10

-11.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 £62.0

$106 £79.2

-21.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 £107

$115 £86.0

24.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 £944

$1,611 £1,209

-21.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 £860

$1,185 £889

-3.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 £2,003

$2,738 £2,054

-2.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 £1,424

$2,106 £1,580

-9.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,662 £4,998

$6,632 £4,976

0.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,474 £4,107

$4,609 £3,458

18.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 £2,191

$3,522 £2,642

-17.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

4.77

3.98%

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

Last update for Bournemouth: 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

Bournemouth

$1.1K 45.7%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 3.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bournemouth

$412 16.4%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 5.7% $23

Eating Out

Bournemouth

$324 12.9%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 10% $32

Groceries & Markets

Bournemouth

$273 10.9%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 21.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Bournemouth

$161 6.4%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 2.3% $3.7

Getting Around

Bournemouth

$120 4.8%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 3.3% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Bournemouth

$72 2.9%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 1.4% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,258 in Bournemouth 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 21% 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 $101 in Bournemouth versus $104 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $333 – making Bournemouth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bournemouth

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

Same time as Bournemouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,491

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

Bournemouth Edinburgh 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bournemouth
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

Bournemouth vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edinburgh costs about 4% more than Bournemouth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,763 per month in Bournemouth 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 Bournemouth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Edinburgh, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bournemouth and $104 in Edinburgh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bournemouth, where all-in costs run around $2,509, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Bournemouth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bournemouth costs $2,509 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 Bournemouth. 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.