Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dartford and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $2,939 in Dartford, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dartford outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Dartford, United Kingdom
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Dartford
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,939
/mo nomad
Edinburgh
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,645
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,939 per month in Dartford vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

  • Dartford $2,939
  • Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $4,203 per month in Dartford vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

  • Dartford $4,203
  • Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $5,467 per month in Dartford vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

  • Dartford $5,467
  • Edinburgh $5,397

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

Both Dartford and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Dartford by 116%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dartford
Edinburgh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.91 £17.86
$24.35 £18.19
-1.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £80.3
$105 £78.7
2.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 £7.88
$10.47 £7.82
0.67%
Cappuccino
$4.82 £3.60
$5.02 £3.75
-3.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.96 £2.21
$2.41 £1.80
22.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 £1.31
$2.19 £1.64
-20.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.17 £5.36
$8.04 £6.00
-10.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.81 £5.09
$7.91 £5.91
-13.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dartford
Edinburgh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 £1.18
$1.75 £1.31
-9.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.99 £1.49
$2.33 £1.74
-14.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.44 £1.82
$2.35 £1.75
3.83%
Eggs
$4.15 £3.10
$5.13 £3.83
-19.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.64 £6.46
$9.05 £6.76
-4.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.04 £7.50
$9.26 £6.92
8.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.28 £12.17
$16.17 £12.08
0.68%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 £2.28
$3.05 £2.28
-
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 £1.10
$1.87 £1.40
-20.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.71 £2.02
$3.35 £2.50
-19.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.35 £2.50
$3.75 £2.80
-10.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 £1.09
$2.05 £1.53
-28.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 £1.36
$1.53 £1.14
19.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.33 £1.00
8.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 £0.73
$1.89 £1.41
-48.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.39
$23.87 £17.83
-2.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.73 £8.02
$10.96 £8.19
-2.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28 £1.70
$3.16 £2.36
-27.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 £1.83
$3.22 £2.40
-24.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Dartford
Edinburgh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.80 £2.09
$3.13 £2.34
-10.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$99.8 £74.6
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.43 £4.06
$5.45 £4.07
-0.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.53
$1.90 £1.42
78.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$57.1 £42.65
$28.50 £21.29
100.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.00 £1.49
$2.06 £1.54
-2.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K £28.5K
$38.2K £28.6K
-0.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.5K
$39.7K £29.7K
2.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dartford
Edinburgh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$285 £213
$329 £246
-13.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.52 £12.34
$16.81 £12.56
-1.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.69 £29.65
$43.13 £32.22
-7.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dartford
Edinburgh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.44 £33.20
$41.84 £31.26
6.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$23.33 £17.43
-
Cinema Ticket
$19.41 £14.50
$14.67 £10.96
32.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dartford
Edinburgh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,229 £1,665
$1,901 £1,420
17.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.8K £22.3K
$25.8K £19.3K
15.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dartford
Edinburgh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.1 £40.38
$82.2 £61.4
-34.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.07 £17.98
$50.0 £37.36
-51.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.1 £67.3
$106 £79.0
-14.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.2 £71.1
$115 £86.1
-17.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dartford
Edinburgh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,235 £1,670
$1,691 £1,263
32.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,711 £1,278
$1,205 £900
42.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,951 £2,205
$2,959 £2,211
-0.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,655 £1,984
$2,184 £1,632
21.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,354 £3,999
$6,388 £4,772
-16.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,479 £3,346
$4,514 £3,372
-0.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dartford
Edinburgh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,472 £3,341
$3,632 £2,713
23.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.79
4.77
0.42%

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

Last update for Dartford: 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
Dartford
$1.7K
Edinburgh
$1.2K 29.6% $506
Eating Out
Dartford
$349
Edinburgh
$361 3.4% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dartford
$341
Edinburgh
$389 14.1% $48
Groceries & Markets
Dartford
$302
Edinburgh
$333 10.1% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Dartford
$119
Edinburgh
$159 34.1% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Dartford
$83
Edinburgh
$71 14.5% $12
Getting Around
Dartford
$34 *
Edinburgh
$127 279% $94

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,235 in Dartford 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 Dartford. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Dartford versus $105 in Edinburgh. Groceries tell a different story – $302 in Dartford vs $333 in Edinburgh – so Dartford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Dartford
🇬🇧 Edinburgh
🕒 Local time
12:27 12:27 PM
12:27 12:27 PM
Same time as Dartford
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
51,240
488,050
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dartford Edinburgh 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Dartford
  • 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
Dartford vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Edinburgh cheaper than Dartford?
Yes – Dartford is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,408 per month in Dartford and $3,968 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Edinburgh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,691 there versus $2,235 in Dartford.
How do food prices compare in Dartford and in Edinburgh?
Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Dartford – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $2,229 per month in Dartford and $1,901 in Edinburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Dartford or in Edinburgh?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,939 in Dartford and $2,645 in Edinburgh. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Dartford or Edinburgh more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Edinburgh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Dartford or Edinburgh?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Edinburgh. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dartford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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