Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Edinburgh Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Edinburgh

🙂 Solo nomad: Cardiff is 13.2% cheaper than Edinburgh without rent, and 12.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cardiff is 14.1% cheaper than Edinburgh without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.26 £14.91
$20.24 £14.89
0.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.8 £65.4
$100 £73.7
-11.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.74 £7.9
$9.86 £7.25
8.92%
Cappuccino
$4.83 £3.55
$5.41 £3.98
-10.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 £1.85
$2.62 £1.93
-4.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 £1.27
$1.94 £1.43
-11.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.75 £4.97
$7.3 £5.37
-7.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.17 £4.54
$6.92 £5.09
-10.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.93 £1.42
$1.69 £1.24
14.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.77 £1.3
$1.74 £1.28
1.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.1 £2.28
$2.17 £1.6
42.86%
Eggs
$4.45 £3.28
$4.2 £3.09
5.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.44 £7.69
$11.93 £8.78
-12.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.08 £6.68
$10.34 £7.61
-12.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.57 £7.04
$18.84 £13.86
-49.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 £2.02
$3.26 £2.4
-15.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 £1.21
$1.53 £1.13
7.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.29 £2.42
$4.09 £3.01
-19.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.74 £4.22
$4.65 £3.42
23.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 £1.26
$1.76 £1.3
-2.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.52 £1.12
$1.42 £1.04
7.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.2 £0.88
$1.22 £0.9
-1.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 £1.23
$1.36 £1
22.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.83 £14.59
$20.18 £14.85
-1.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.17 £6.75
$10.69 £7.86
-14.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.16 £2.33
$2.58 £1.9
22.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.5 £2.57
$3.4 £2.5
2.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.16 £2.33
$2.65 £1.95
19.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.6 £57.8
$90.3 £66.5
-12.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4 £2.94
$5.53 £4.07
-27.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.47 £1.82
$3.09 £2.27
-20.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.26 £14.91
$43.29 £31.85
-53.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 £1.44
$1.95 £1.44
0.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.9K £28.6K
$38.5K £28.3K
1.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$56.2K £41.3K
$39.3K £28.9K
43.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$285 £210
$371 £273
-23.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.42 £15.02
$17.29 £12.73
18.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.1 £32.45
$44.45 £32.71
-0.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.58 £28.39
$54.2 £39.9
-28.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.29 £6.1
$24.52 £18.05
-66.19%
Cinema Ticket
$8.02 £5.9
$14.71 £10.82
-45.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,017 £1,484
$1,940 £1,427
3.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$32.6K £24K
$24K £17.7K
35.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.4 £51.8
$118 £86.7
-40.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.74 £27.03
$55.8 £41.03
-34.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.4 £54
$117 £86.2
-37.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$66 £48.59
$124 £91
-46.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,305 £961
$1,643 £1,209
-20.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,128 £830
$1,210 £890
-6.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,530 £1,862
$3,043 £2,239
-16.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,672 £1,231
$2,150 £1,582
-22.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,739 £4,223
$6,826 £5,023
-15.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,558 £2,618
$4,713 £3,469
-24.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,942 £2,165
$3,668 £2,699
-19.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
5.63
6.57%

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

Last update for Cardiff: October 29, 2025

Last update for Edinburgh: October 28, 2025

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