Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dumfries and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumfries: $1,754 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Dumfries
Learn more

Dumfries Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
Learn more

Edinburgh Living Index

Jump to prices

Dumfries

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,754

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,754 in Dumfries versus $2,645 in Edinburgh.

Dumfries $1,754
Edinburgh $2,645

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,716 in Dumfries versus $4,021 in Edinburgh.

Dumfries $2,716
Edinburgh $4,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,678 in Dumfries versus $5,397 in Edinburgh.

Dumfries $3,678
Edinburgh $5,397

Living in Dumfries costs roughly 34% less than in Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dumfries 29% above, Edinburgh 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.71 £10.99

$24.35 £18.18

-39.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 £59.4

$105 £78.6

-24.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.15 £6.08

$10.47 £7.81

-22.16%

Cappuccino

$4.51 £3.37

$5.02 £3.75

-10.16%

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

$2.52 £1.88

$2.41 £1.80

4.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 £0.99

$2.19 £1.64

-39.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 £4.15

$8.04 £6.00

-30.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 £4.50

$7.91 £5.91

-23.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.75 £1.31

-13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.27

$2.33 £1.74

-27.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 £2.07

$2.35 £1.75

17.87%

Eggs

$4.36 £3.25

$5.13 £3.83

-15.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 £5.52

$9.05 £6.76

-18.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.91

$9.26 £6.92

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.46 £11.55

$16.17 £12.08

-4.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 £1.83

$3.05 £2.28

-19.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 £1.70

$1.87 £1.40

21.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 £1.72

$3.35 £2.50

-31.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 £2.14

$3.75 £2.80

-23.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 £2.31

$2.05 £1.53

51.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 £1.56

$1.53 £1.14

36.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.33 £1.00

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.89 £1.41

2.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.02 £17.94

$23.87 £17.82

0.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.10 £9.04

$10.96 £8.18

10.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 £2.49

$3.16 £2.36

5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.41

$3.22 £2.40

0.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.16 £3.10

$3.13 £2.34

32.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.6 £72.8

$99.8 £74.5

-2.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.71 £3.52

$5.45 £4.07

-13.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 £0.71

$1.90 £1.42

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 £8.79

$28.50 £21.28

-58.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.38

$2.06 £1.54

-10.19%

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

$37.7K £28.2K

$38.2K £28.5K

-1.39%

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

$41.0K £30.6K

$39.7K £29.7K

3.12%

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

$238 £178

$329 £246

-27.59%

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

$22.51 £16.81

$16.81 £12.55

33.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.02 £32.12

$43.13 £32.20

-0.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 £38.36

$41.84 £31.24

22.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.75 £19.97

$23.33 £17.42

14.66%

Cinema Ticket

$13.52 £10.09

$14.67 £10.95

-7.84%

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

$1,948 £1,454

$1,901 £1,419

2.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K £16.8K

$25.8K £19.2K

-12.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 £62.2

$82.2 £61.4

1.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 £39.05

$50.0 £37.34

4.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 £90.3

$106 £78.9

14.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 £66.9

$115 £86.0

-22.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 £471

$1,691 £1,263

-62.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 £392

$1,205 £900

-56.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 £759

$2,959 £2,209

-65.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 £705

$2,184 £1,631

-56.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,954 £3,699

$6,388 £4,769

-22.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,808 £2,844

$4,514 £3,370

-15.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,436 £2,566

$3,632 £2,712

-5.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

4.77

13.42%

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

Last update for Dumfries: 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

Dumfries

$525 29.9%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 130% $680

Groceries & Markets

Dumfries

$316 18%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 5.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dumfries

$304 17.3%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 28% $85

Eating Out

Dumfries

$251 14.3%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 43.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Dumfries

$156 8.9%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 2% $3.1

Getting Around

Dumfries

$124 7.1%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dumfries

$78 4.5%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 9.2% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $631 in Dumfries and $1,691 in Edinburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 6% 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: $80 in Dumfries vs $105 in Edinburgh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $333 per month, with Dumfries cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Dumfries

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

Same time as Dumfries

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,080

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

Dumfries Edinburgh 100 km

From you

Dumfries
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

Dumfries vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dumfries is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Dumfries. 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: $631 in Dumfries versus $1,691 in Edinburgh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Edinburgh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,754 per month in Dumfries versus $2,645 in Edinburgh – Dumfries is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,754 in Dumfries versus $2,645 in Edinburgh, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dumfries but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Dumfries 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.

It comes down to priorities – Dumfries wins on affordability, Edinburgh on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.