Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnley and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Burnley: $2,185 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Burnley
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Burnley Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Burnley

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,185

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,185 in Burnley versus $2,645 in Edinburgh.

Burnley $2,185
Edinburgh $2,645

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,013 in Burnley versus $4,021 in Edinburgh.

Burnley $3,013
Edinburgh $4,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,841 in Burnley versus $5,397 in Edinburgh.

Burnley $3,841
Edinburgh $5,397

Living in Burnley costs roughly 17% less than in Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnley 61% above, Edinburgh 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 £14.84

$24.35 £18.18

-18.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 £58.6

$105 £78.6

-25.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.17 £6.10

$10.47 £7.82

-21.97%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.43

$5.02 £3.75

-8.37%

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

$2.68 £2.00

$2.41 £1.80

11.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 £1.33

$2.19 £1.64

-18.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 £2.97

$8.04 £6.00

-50.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 £4.60

$7.91 £5.91

-22.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.75 £1.31

-4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 £1.13

$2.33 £1.74

-35.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$2.35 £1.75

-33.62%

Eggs

$3.49 £2.60

$5.13 £3.83

-31.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.80 £5.83

$9.05 £6.76

-13.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 £5.90

$9.26 £6.92

-14.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 £9.89

$16.17 £12.08

-18.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 £1.75

$3.05 £2.28

-23.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.87 £1.40

-27.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 £1.26

$3.35 £2.50

-49.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 £2.03

$3.75 £2.80

-27.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.24

$2.05 £1.53

-19.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.53 £1.14

5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 £0.97

$1.33 £1.00

-2.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.89 £1.41

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.52 £14.58

$23.87 £17.83

-18.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 £8.05

$10.96 £8.19

-1.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 £2.16

$3.16 £2.36

-8.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 £2.31

$3.22 £2.40

-3.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 £2.65

$3.13 £2.34

13.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.4

$99.8 £74.6

-2.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 £2.33

$5.45 £4.07

-42.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.90 £1.42

9.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.91 £13.37

$28.50 £21.29

-37.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.39

$2.06 £1.54

-9.71%

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

$38.6K £28.8K

$38.2K £28.6K

0.99%

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

$40.4K £30.1K

$39.7K £29.7K

1.63%

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

$246 £183

$329 £246

-25.40%

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

$16.95 £12.66

$16.81 £12.55

0.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.44 £30.95

$43.13 £32.21

-3.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.37 £34.63

$41.84 £31.25

10.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.37 £12.22

$23.33 £17.42

-29.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 £5.73

$14.67 £10.95

-47.72%

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

$1,875 £1,401

$1,901 £1,419

-1.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K £16.8K

$25.8K £19.2K

-12.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 £65.6

$82.2 £61.4

6.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.71 £34.88

$50.0 £37.35

-6.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 £66.1

$106 £78.9

-16.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 £64.4

$115 £86.1

-25.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 £915

$1,691 £1,263

-27.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 £749

$1,205 £900

-16.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 £1,079

$2,959 £2,210

-51.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 £915

$2,184 £1,631

-43.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,134 £3,834

$6,388 £4,771

-19.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,855 £2,879

$4,514 £3,371

-14.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,132 £2,339

$3,632 £2,713

-13.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.77

4.61%

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

Last update for Burnley: October 26, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnley

$1K 45.9%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 20.2% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnley

$304 13.9%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 28% $85

Eating Out

Burnley

$289 13.2%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 25% $72

Groceries & Markets

Burnley

$265 12.1%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 25.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Burnley

$139 6.4%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 14.2% $20

Getting Around

Burnley

$125 5.7%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 2.2% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Burnley

$62 2.8%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 15.3% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,225 in Burnley and $1,691 in Edinburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 16% 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: $79 in Burnley vs $105 in Edinburgh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $265 vs $333 per month, with Burnley cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Burnley

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

Same time as Burnley

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,500

488,050

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 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

Burnley vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burnley is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Burnley. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,225 in Burnley versus $1,691 in Edinburgh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Burnley – a meal for two runs $79 versus $105 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,185 per month in Burnley versus $2,645 in Edinburgh – Burnley is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,185 in Burnley versus $2,645 in Edinburgh, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Burnley but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Burnley 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.

Expats usually find Burnley gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.