Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheltenham: $2,327 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Cheltenham
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Cheltenham Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Cheltenham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,327

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,327 in Cheltenham versus $2,617 in Edinburgh.

Cheltenham $2,327
Edinburgh $2,617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,528 in Cheltenham versus $3,956 in Edinburgh.

Cheltenham $3,528
Edinburgh $3,956

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,729 in Cheltenham versus $5,295 in Edinburgh.

Cheltenham $4,729
Edinburgh $5,295

Living in Cheltenham costs roughly 11% less than in Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheltenham 72% above, Edinburgh 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.75

$23.64 £17.73

0.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £79.1

$104 £78.2

1.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 £8.28

$10.48 £7.86

5.25%

Cappuccino

$4.89 £3.67

$5.08 £3.81

-3.74%

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

$2.56 £1.92

$2.50 £1.87

2.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.15 £1.61

-19.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 £5.82

$8.06 £6.04

-3.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.91

$8.13 £6.10

-19.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.68 £1.26

2.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.29

$2.29 £1.71

-25.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$2.25 £1.69

-11.56%

Eggs

$4.43 £3.33

$5.05 £3.79

-12.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 £6.15

$9.05 £6.79

-9.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 £7.19

$9.49 £7.12

1.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 £9.82

$16.12 £12.10

-18.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.32

$3.05 £2.29

1.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.93 £1.45

-25.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$3.36 £2.52

-42.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 £2.62

$3.68 £2.76

-5.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$2.07 £1.55

-26.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.54 £1.16

-1.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.25 £0.94

-3.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 £1.07

$1.94 £1.45

-26.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.12 £17.35

$23.67 £17.76

-2.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 £7.98

$11.13 £8.35

-4.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 £2.15

$3.22 £2.42

-11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 £2.20

$3.19 £2.40

-8.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 £2.58

$3.20 £2.40

7.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.5 £69.4

$96.7 £72.6

-4.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 £2.65

$5.18 £3.89

-31.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.86 £1.40

-11.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 £20.14

$28.69 £21.52

-6.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.14 £1.60

-12.62%

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

$37.1K £27.8K

$38.6K £29.0K

-4.03%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

0.05%

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

$341 £256

$330 £248

3.23%

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

$17.10 £12.83

$16.39 £12.30

4.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 £38.24

$42.15 £31.63

20.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.28 £33.22

$44.13 £33.11

0.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.01 £29.27

$23.04 £17.28

69.31%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 £10.50

$14.30 £10.73

-2.10%

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

$2,020 £1,516

$1,759 £1,319

14.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £18.9K

$25.4K £19.0K

-0.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 £73.7

$80.6 £60.4

21.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 £36.18

$49.45 £37.10

-2.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.4

$106 £79.2

0.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 £72.7

$115 £86.0

-15.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 £871

$1,611 £1,209

-27.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 £697

$1,185 £889

-21.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 £1,613

$2,738 £2,054

-21.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 £1,213

$2,106 £1,580

-23.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,704 £4,279

$6,632 £4,976

-14.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,676 £4,258

$4,609 £3,458

23.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,753 £3,566

$3,522 £2,642

34.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

4.77

16.14%

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

Last update for Cheltenham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheltenham

$929 39.9%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 27.6% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheltenham

$409 17.6%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 4.9% $20

Eating Out

Cheltenham

$350 15.1%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 1.8% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

Cheltenham

$292 12.6%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 13.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Cheltenham

$157 6.8%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 0.3% $0.4

Getting Around

Cheltenham

$118 5.1%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 5.1% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Cheltenham

$72 3.1%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,161 in Cheltenham and $1,611 in Edinburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $105 in Cheltenham vs $104 in Edinburgh. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $333, with Cheltenham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cheltenham

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

Same time as Cheltenham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,300

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

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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

Cheltenham vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheltenham is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Cheltenham, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,161 in Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham – a meal for two runs $105 versus $104 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,327 per month in Cheltenham versus $2,617 in Edinburgh – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,327 in Cheltenham versus $2,617 in Edinburgh, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cheltenham but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Cheltenham the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cheltenham 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.

Safety-wise, Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.