Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buckingham and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Buckingham: $2,219 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Buckingham
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Buckingham Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Buckingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,219

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,219 in Buckingham versus $2,617 in Edinburgh.

Buckingham $2,219
Edinburgh $2,617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,265 in Buckingham versus $3,956 in Edinburgh.

Buckingham $3,265
Edinburgh $3,956

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,311 in Buckingham versus $5,295 in Edinburgh.

Buckingham $4,311
Edinburgh $5,295

Living in Buckingham costs roughly 15% less than in Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buckingham 64% above, Edinburgh 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 £15.03

$23.64 £17.73

-15.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 £59.2

$104 £78.2

-24.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 £7.83

$10.48 £7.86

-0.38%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.45

$5.08 £3.81

-9.45%

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

$2.05 £1.54

$2.50 £1.87

-18.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.12

$2.15 £1.61

-30.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 £4.09

$8.06 £6.04

-32.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 £3.39

$8.13 £6.10

-44.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.68 £1.26

-10.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 £1.33

$2.29 £1.71

-22.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$2.25 £1.69

25.33%

Eggs

$4.04 £3.03

$5.05 £3.79

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 £6.82

$9.05 £6.79

0.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 £5.79

$9.49 £7.12

-18.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.42 £12.32

$16.12 £12.10

1.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 £2.47

$3.05 £2.29

7.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.93 £1.45

-20.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$3.36 £2.52

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.68 £2.76

-13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$2.07 £1.55

-43.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.54 £1.16

12.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.97

$1.25 £0.94

3.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.94 £1.45

-30.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.66 £17.75

$23.67 £17.76

-0.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.10 £7.57

$11.13 £8.35

-9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 £2.36

$3.22 £2.42

-2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$3.19 £2.40

-28.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 £2.53

$3.20 £2.40

5.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.7 £71.1

$96.7 £72.6

-2.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.18 £3.14

$5.18 £3.89

-19.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$1.86 £1.40

44.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.36 £24.28

$28.69 £21.52

12.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.14 £1.60

-4.67%

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

$38.4K £28.8K

$38.6K £29.0K

-0.69%

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

$41.3K £31.0K

$41.2K £30.9K

0.30%

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

$200 £150

$330 £248

-39.41%

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

$17.46 £13.10

$16.39 £12.30

6.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.68 £32.77

$42.15 £31.63

3.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.77 £34.34

$44.13 £33.11

3.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 £10.04

$14.30 £10.73

-6.43%

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

$1,464 £1,099

$1,759 £1,319

-16.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.5K

$25.4K £19.0K

-13.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 £63.2

$80.6 £60.4

4.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.33 £23.50

$49.45 £37.10

-36.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 £55.3

$106 £79.2

-30.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £72.9

$115 £86.0

-15.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 £1,097

$1,611 £1,209

-9.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £777

$1,185 £889

-12.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 £1,579

$2,738 £2,054

-23.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 £1,244

$2,106 £1,580

-21.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,081 £3,812

$6,632 £4,976

-23.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 £2,865

$4,609 £3,458

-17.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,447 £3,336

$3,522 £2,642

26.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.06

4.77

6.08%

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

Last update for Buckingham: October 10, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buckingham

$1K 46.7%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 14.4% $149

Eating Out

Buckingham

$297 13.4%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 20% $59

Groceries & Markets

Buckingham

$297 13.4%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 12% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buckingham

$261 11.8%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 48.8% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Buckingham

$129 5.8%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 22.2% $29

Getting Around

Buckingham

$126 5.7%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 1.5% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Buckingham

$73 3.3%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,462 in Buckingham and $1,611 in Edinburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Buckingham vs $104 in Edinburgh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $333 per month, with Buckingham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Buckingham

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

Same time as Buckingham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,890

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

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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

Buckingham vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buckingham and Edinburgh differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,219 vs $2,617 including rent). Buckingham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Buckingham, 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: $1,462 in Buckingham versus $1,611 in Edinburgh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,219 per month in Buckingham versus $2,617 in Edinburgh – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Buckingham runs roughly 2% less than in Edinburgh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,219 in Buckingham versus $2,617 in Edinburgh, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buckingham but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Buckingham the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Buckingham 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 Buckingham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.