Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caernarfon and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Caernarfon: $1,196 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Caernarfon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,196
/mo nomad
Edinburgh
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,617
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,196 in Caernarfon versus $2,617 in Edinburgh.

  • Caernarfon $1,196
  • Edinburgh $2,617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,704 in Caernarfon versus $3,956 in Edinburgh.

  • Caernarfon $2,704
  • Edinburgh $3,956

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,212 in Caernarfon versus $5,295 in Edinburgh.

  • Caernarfon $4,212
  • Edinburgh $5,295

Living in Caernarfon costs roughly 54% less than in Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Caernarfon is 11% below, Edinburgh is 94% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Caernarfon
Edinburgh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.08 £9.82
$23.64 £17.73
-44.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$90.8 £68.1
$104 £78.2
-12.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.19 £6.90
$10.48 £7.86
-12.31%
Cappuccino
$3.85 £2.89
$5.08 £3.81
-24.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 £1.95
$2.50 £1.87
3.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 £1.47
$2.15 £1.61
-8.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.72 £3.54
$8.06 £6.04
-41.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 £2.94
$8.13 £6.10
-51.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Caernarfon
Edinburgh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 £1.38
$1.68 £1.26
9.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.68 £1.26
$2.29 £1.71
-26.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 £1.65
$2.25 £1.69
-2.22%
Eggs
$2.32 £1.74
$5.05 £3.79
-54.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.01 £6.76
$9.05 £6.79
-0.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.38 £5.53
$9.49 £7.12
-22.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.08 £11.31
$16.12 £12.10
-6.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.58 £1.93
$3.05 £2.29
-15.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.28 £0.96
$1.93 £1.45
-33.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.29 £0.97
$3.36 £2.52
-61.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 £1.02
$3.68 £2.76
-63.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.64 £1.23
$2.07 £1.55
-20.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.54 £1.16
12.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 £1.02
$1.25 £0.94
8.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 £1.17
$1.94 £1.45
-19.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.03 £16.53
$23.67 £17.76
-6.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.08 £6.81
$11.13 £8.35
-18.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.58 £2.68
$3.22 £2.42
11.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 £2.52
$3.19 £2.40
5.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Caernarfon
Edinburgh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.60 £4.20
$3.20 £2.40
75.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.7 £50.8
$96.7 £72.6
-30.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.11 £3.83
$5.18 £3.89
-1.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.31 £1.73
$1.86 £1.40
24.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.10 £18.08
$28.69 £21.52
-16.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.48
$2.14 £1.60
-7.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K £28.6K
$38.6K £29.0K
-1.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3K £30.3K
$41.2K £30.9K
-1.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Caernarfon
Edinburgh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$314 £236
$330 £248
-4.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.96 £15.72
$16.39 £12.30
27.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.31 £29.49
$42.15 £31.63
-6.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Caernarfon
Edinburgh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.97 £22.48
$44.13 £33.11
-32.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$23.04 £17.28
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.92 £11.94
$14.30 £10.73
11.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Caernarfon
Edinburgh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,570 £1,178
$1,759 £1,319
-10.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.6K £17.7K
$25.4K £19.0K
-6.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Caernarfon
Edinburgh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$107 £80.4
$80.6 £60.4
33.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.70 £37.29
$49.45 £37.10
0.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 £80.4
$106 £79.2
1.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.8 £59.9
$115 £86.0
-30.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Caernarfon
Edinburgh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$662 £497
$1,611 £1,209
-58.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,185 £889
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,738 £2,054
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,604 £1,204
$2,106 £1,580
-23.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,632 £4,976
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,609 £3,458
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Caernarfon
Edinburgh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,516 £2,638
$3,522 £2,642
-0.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.09
4.77
6.71%

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

Last update for Caernarfon: October 12, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Caernarfon
$375
Edinburgh
$389 3.7% $14
Groceries & Markets
Caernarfon
$270
Edinburgh
$333 23.1% $62
Eating Out
Caernarfon
$228
Edinburgh
$357 56.3% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Caernarfon
$155
Edinburgh
$158 1.8% $2.9
Getting Around
Caernarfon
$107
Edinburgh
$124 16.2% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Caernarfon
$62
Edinburgh
$73 17.7% $11
Accommodation & Living
Caernarfon
- *
Edinburgh
$1.2K

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $662 in Caernarfon and $1,611 in Edinburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 0% 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: $91.0 in Caernarfon vs $104 in Edinburgh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $333 per month, with Caernarfon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Caernarfon
🇬🇧 Edinburgh
🕒 Local time
18:48 6:48 PM
18:48 6:48 PM
Same time as Caernarfon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,500
488,050
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Caernarfon Edinburgh 320 km
From you
  • Caernarfon
  • 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
Caernarfon vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Edinburgh cheaper than Caernarfon?
Caernarfon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 119% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Caernarfon or Edinburgh?
On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Edinburgh. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Caernarfon and Edinburgh?
Rent for a central apartment: $662 in Caernarfon versus $1,611 in Edinburgh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Caernarfon or in Edinburgh?
Dining out is cheaper in Caernarfon – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $104 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Caernarfon and in Edinburgh?
All in, you'll spend $1,196 per month in Caernarfon versus $2,617 in Edinburgh – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Caernarfon or in Edinburgh?
At $1,196 in Caernarfon versus $2,617 in Edinburgh, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Caernarfon but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Caernarfon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Caernarfon or Edinburgh more family-friendly?
For families, Caernarfon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Edinburgh, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Caernarfon or Edinburgh?
Safety-wise, Caernarfon 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Caernarfon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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