Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canterbury and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $2,998 in Canterbury, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Canterbury

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,998

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,998 in Canterbury versus $2,645 in Edinburgh.

Canterbury $2,998
Edinburgh $2,645

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,289 in Canterbury versus $4,021 in Edinburgh.

Canterbury $4,289
Edinburgh $4,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,580 in Canterbury versus $5,397 in Edinburgh.

Canterbury $5,580
Edinburgh $5,397

Living in Canterbury is roughly 13% more expensive than in Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Canterbury 120% above, Edinburgh 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.46 £16.77

$24.35 £18.18

-7.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 £59.3

$105 £78.6

-24.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.92

$10.47 £7.81

1.34%

Cappuccino

$5.26 £3.93

$5.02 £3.75

4.78%

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

$3.02 £2.26

$2.41 £1.80

25.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 £1.88

$2.19 £1.64

15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 £5.88

$8.04 £6.00

-2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 £5.02

$7.91 £5.91

-15.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.75 £1.31

-6.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 £1.87

$2.35 £1.75

6.81%

Eggs

$5.73 £4.28

$5.13 £3.83

11.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.75 £8.77

$9.05 £6.76

29.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.94

$9.26 £6.92

0.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.31 £18.15

$16.17 £12.08

50.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 £2.78

$3.05 £2.28

22.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 £1.87

$1.87 £1.40

33.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 £2.73

$3.35 £2.50

8.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 £3.58

$3.75 £2.80

28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 £2.69

$2.05 £1.53

75.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 £2.03

$1.53 £1.14

77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 £1.91

$1.33 £1.00

92.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$1.89 £1.41

62.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 £18.03

$23.87 £17.82

1.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.74 £11.75

$10.96 £8.18

43.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.94 £2.94

$3.16 £2.36

24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 £3.04

$3.22 £2.40

26.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 £3.07

$3.13 £2.34

31.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$187 £139

$99.8 £74.5

86.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.55 £4.89

$5.45 £4.07

20.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.01

$1.90 £1.42

41.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.61 £29.58

$28.50 £21.28

38.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.50

$2.06 £1.54

-2.91%

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

$39.3K £29.4K

$38.2K £28.5K

2.88%

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

$41.1K £30.7K

$39.7K £29.7K

3.58%

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

$420 £313

$329 £246

27.52%

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

$38.40 £28.67

$16.81 £12.55

128.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 £39.46

$43.13 £32.20

22.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.92 £35.78

$41.84 £31.24

14.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.93 £28.32

$23.33 £17.42

62.58%

Cinema Ticket

$19.91 £14.86

$14.67 £10.95

35.72%

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

$1,853 £1,383

$1,901 £1,419

-2.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K £19.5K

$25.8K £19.2K

1.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.1 £59.0

$82.2 £61.4

-3.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 £38.03

$50.0 £37.34

1.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 £91.2

$106 £78.9

15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 £101

$115 £86.0

16.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 £1,060

$1,691 £1,263

-16.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 £918

$1,205 £900

2.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,225 £1,662

$2,959 £2,209

-24.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 £1,423

$2,184 £1,631

-12.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,440 £4,062

$6,388 £4,769

-14.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,366 £3,260

$4,514 £3,370

-3.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,891 £2,158

$3,632 £2,712

-20.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.51

4.77

15.51%

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

Last update for Canterbury: October 24, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canterbury

$1.2K 41%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canterbury

$511 17.1%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 23.9% $122

Groceries & Markets

Canterbury

$422 14.1%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 21.2% $90

Eating Out

Canterbury

$350 11.7%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 3.2% $11

Getting Around

Canterbury

$223 7.4%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 42.9% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Canterbury

$174 5.8%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 8.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Canterbury

$88 2.9%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 18.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,420 in Canterbury and $1,691 in Edinburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh 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 in Canterbury vs $105 in Edinburgh. Groceries flip the comparison at $422 vs $333, with Edinburgh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Canterbury

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

Same time as Canterbury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,400

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Canterbury Edinburgh 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Canterbury
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

Canterbury vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edinburgh wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Canterbury. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Edinburgh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Canterbury. 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: $1,420 in Canterbury versus $1,691 in Edinburgh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,853 in Canterbury versus $1,901 in Edinburgh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Canterbury. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Edinburgh is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Canterbury and Edinburgh are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.