Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Croydon and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $2,932 in Croydon, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Croydon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

140

Cost of Living Index in Croydon
Learn more

Croydon Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
Learn more

Edinburgh Living Index

Jump to prices

Croydon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,932

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,932 per month in Croydon vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Croydon $2,932
Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $3,998 per month in Croydon vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Croydon $3,998
Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $5,065 per month in Croydon vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Croydon $5,065
Edinburgh $5,397

Croydon costs about 11% more than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Croydon and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Croydon by 115%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 £15.07

$24.35 £18.19

-17.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.2 £53.9

$105 £78.7

-31.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.65 £7.21

$10.47 £7.82

-7.83%

Cappuccino

$5.10 £3.81

$5.02 £3.75

1.59%

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

$2.73 £2.04

$2.41 £1.80

13.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.10

$2.19 £1.64

-32.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 £4.54

$8.04 £6.00

-24.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 £4.58

$7.91 £5.91

-22.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.75 £1.31

-8.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 £1.05

$2.33 £1.74

-39.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 £2.01

$2.35 £1.75

14.47%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.97

$5.13 £3.83

-22.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.46 £7.82

$9.05 £6.76

15.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 £6.09

$9.26 £6.92

-11.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 £10.02

$16.17 £12.08

-17.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 £1.78

$3.05 £2.28

-21.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.87 £1.40

-33.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$3.35 £2.50

-8.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 £1.57

$3.75 £2.80

-44.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 £2.33

$2.05 £1.53

52.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 £1.37

$1.53 £1.14

20.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.33 £1.00

11.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.89 £1.41

-20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.45 £17.52

$23.87 £17.83

-1.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.27 £9.92

$10.96 £8.19

21.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 £1.75

$3.16 £2.36

-25.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 £2.05

$3.22 £2.40

-14.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 £1.72

$3.13 £2.34

-26.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$134 £99.9

$99.8 £74.6

34.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 £4.92

$5.45 £4.07

20.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$54.0 £40.32

$28.50 £21.29

89.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 £1.50

$2.06 £1.54

-2.43%

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

$39.0K £29.1K

$38.2K £28.6K

1.88%

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

$41.4K £30.9K

$39.7K £29.7K

4.27%

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

$316 £236

$329 £246

-4.03%

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

$29.89 £22.33

$16.81 £12.56

77.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.53 £29.53

$43.13 £32.22

-8.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.99 £27.63

$41.84 £31.26

-11.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.15 £15.05

$23.33 £17.43

-13.63%

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 £8.99

$14.67 £10.96

-18.00%

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

$1,692 £1,264

$1,901 £1,420

-10.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K £17.7K

$25.8K £19.3K

-8.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 £49.19

$82.2 £61.4

-19.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.74 £36.41

$50.0 £37.36

-2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 £70.1

$106 £79.0

-11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 £112

$115 £86.1

29.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,014 £1,505

$1,691 £1,263

19.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 £1,174

$1,205 £900

30.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,814 £2,102

$2,959 £2,211

-4.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,186 £1,633

$2,184 £1,632

0.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,032 £6,000

$6,388 £4,772

25.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,784 £4,321

$4,514 £3,372

28.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,462 £3,334

$3,632 £2,713

22.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.06

4.77

6.08%

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

Last update for Croydon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Croydon

$1.6K 53.6%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 23.3% $367

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Croydon

$385 13.1%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 1% $3.8

Eating Out

Croydon

$311 10.6%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 16% $50

Groceries & Markets

Croydon

$292 10%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 13.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Croydon

$161 5.5%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 1.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Croydon

$150 * 5.1%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 14.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Croydon

$61 2.1%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 16.6% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,014 in Croydon versus $1,691 in Edinburgh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 23% higher in Croydon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Croydon versus $105 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $333 – making Croydon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Croydon

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

Same time as Croydon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,314

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

Croydon Edinburgh 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Croydon
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

Croydon vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Croydon is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,398 per month in Croydon and $3,968 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edinburgh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,691 there versus $2,014 in Croydon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,932 in Croydon and $2,645 in Edinburgh. That makes Edinburgh about 10% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Edinburgh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,932 in Croydon and $2,645 in Edinburgh. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Edinburgh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,645 in Edinburgh to $2,932 in Croydon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Edinburgh. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Croydon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.