Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Cardiff: $2,454 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,454

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,454 in Cardiff versus $2,617 in Edinburgh.

Cardiff $2,454
Edinburgh $2,617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Cardiff versus $3,956 in Edinburgh.

Cardiff $3,414
Edinburgh $3,956

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,373 in Cardiff versus $5,295 in Edinburgh.

Cardiff $4,373
Edinburgh $5,295

Living in Cardiff costs roughly 6% less than in Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cardiff 82% above, Edinburgh 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 £15.04

$23.64 £17.73

-15.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 £62.6

$104 £78.2

-19.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.06

$10.48 £7.86

2.48%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.34

$5.08 £3.81

-12.40%

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

$2.92 £2.19

$2.50 £1.87

16.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.50

$2.15 £1.61

-6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 £5.85

$8.06 £6.04

-3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 £4.74

$8.13 £6.10

-22.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.68 £1.26

2.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.29 £1.71

-37.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 £1.61

$2.25 £1.69

-4.44%

Eggs

$3.62 £2.72

$5.05 £3.79

-28.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 £7.11

$9.05 £6.79

4.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 £6.64

$9.49 £7.12

-6.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.18 £12.14

$16.12 £12.10

0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$3.05 £2.29

-8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.93 £1.45

-19.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

$3.36 £2.52

-9.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 £2.63

$3.68 £2.76

-4.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.50

$2.07 £1.55

-3.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.54 £1.16

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 £0.82

$1.25 £0.94

-12.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.94 £1.45

-15.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.08 £17.31

$23.67 £17.76

-2.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 £8.31

$11.13 £8.35

-0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.22 £2.42

-5.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.48

$3.19 £2.40

3.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 £2.41

$3.20 £2.40

0.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 £59.3

$96.7 £72.6

-18.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 £3.44

$5.18 £3.89

-11.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.86 £1.40

-10.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.87 £26.91

$28.69 £21.52

25.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$2.14 £1.60

-3.74%

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

$37.9K £28.4K

$38.6K £29.0K

-2.05%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$41.2K £30.9K

-0.72%

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

$335 £252

$330 £248

1.62%

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

$25.35 £19.02

$16.39 £12.30

54.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.54 £32.67

$42.15 £31.63

3.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.26 £27.95

$44.13 £33.11

-15.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.37 £8.53

$23.04 £17.28

-50.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 £7.77

$14.30 £10.73

-27.55%

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

$1,990 £1,493

$1,759 £1,319

13.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K £24.4K

$25.4K £19.0K

28.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.8 £73.4

$80.6 £60.4

21.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.54 £36.41

$49.45 £37.10

-1.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 £86.9

$106 £79.2

9.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 £74.6

$115 £86.0

-13.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,611 £1,209

-27.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 £826

$1,185 £889

-7.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 £1,602

$2,738 £2,054

-22.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 £1,112

$2,106 £1,580

-29.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,255 £3,942

$6,632 £4,976

-20.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,432 £2,575

$4,609 £3,458

-25.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,179 £2,385

$3,522 £2,642

-9.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

4.77

7.13%

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

Last update for Cardiff: October 12, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.9%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 7.5% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cardiff

$404 16.5%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 3.9% $16

Eating Out

Cardiff

$317 12.9%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 12.4% $39

Groceries & Markets

Cardiff

$306 12.5%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 8.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Cardiff

$163 6.6%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 3.2% $5.2

Getting Around

Cardiff

$105 4.3%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 18.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cardiff

$58 2.4%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 25.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,168 in Cardiff and $1,611 in Edinburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 11% 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: $83.0 in Cardiff vs $104 in Edinburgh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $333 per month, with Cardiff cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

Same time as Cardiff

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,100

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

On the map

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Between locations

Cardiff Edinburgh 500 km

From you

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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

Cardiff vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cardiff and Edinburgh differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,454 vs $2,617 including rent). Cardiff is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,168 in Cardiff versus $1,611 in Edinburgh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cardiff – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $104 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,454 per month in Cardiff versus $2,617 in Edinburgh – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,454 in Cardiff versus $2,617 in Edinburgh, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cardiff but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Cardiff 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, Cardiff 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 Cardiff gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.