Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dundee and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Dundee: $2,083 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Dundee
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Dundee Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Dundee

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,083

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,083 in Dundee versus $2,601 in Edinburgh.

Dundee $2,083
Edinburgh $2,601

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,069 in Dundee versus $3,985 in Edinburgh.

Dundee $3,069
Edinburgh $3,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,055 in Dundee versus $5,369 in Edinburgh.

Dundee $4,055
Edinburgh $5,369

Living in Dundee costs roughly 20% less than in Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dundee 54% above, Edinburgh 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.06 £15.80

$23.67 £17.76

-11.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 £59.1

$108 £81.4

-27.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.96

$10.71 £8.04

-0.93%

Cappuccino

$4.31 £3.23

$5.25 £3.94

-17.90%

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

$2.52 £1.89

$2.48 £1.86

1.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.02

$2.17 £1.63

-37.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 £4.30

$7.94 £5.96

-27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 £4.52

$8.00 £6.00

-24.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.69 £1.27

20.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 £1.32

$2.35 £1.77

-25.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 £2.02

$2.36 £1.77

13.98%

Eggs

$5.58 £4.19

$4.96 £3.72

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.44 £5.58

$9.20 £6.91

-19.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 £7.29

$9.33 £7.00

4.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 £11.41

$15.79 £11.85

-3.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 £1.80

$3.01 £2.26

-20.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 £1.70

$1.88 £1.41

20.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 £2.15

$3.42 £2.57

-16.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 £2.15

$3.67 £2.75

-21.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

$2.01 £1.51

50.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.55 £1.16

31.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.32 £0.99

40.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 £1.76

$1.93 £1.45

21.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.83 £17.87

$23.23 £17.43

2.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.94 £8.96

$11.20 £8.40

6.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.12 £2.34

2.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.38

$3.27 £2.46

-2.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 £2.19

$3.14 £2.35

-7.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.2 £42.92

$97.0 £72.8

-41.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 £3.46

$5.43 £4.08

-14.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.83 £2.87

$1.82 £1.37

110.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.70 £20.03

$28.32 £21.25

-5.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.48

$2.08 £1.56

-5.29%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$38.6K £28.9K

-0.83%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$39.9K £29.9K

-0.35%

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

$242 £182

$328 £246

-26.12%

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

$13.07 £9.81

$16.47 £12.36

-20.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.70 £32.03

$42.32 £31.75

0.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.78 £37.34

$44.41 £33.32

12.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.13 £5.35

$23.05 £17.30

-69.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.56 £10.17

$14.39 £10.79

-5.77%

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

$1,924 £1,444

$1,775 £1,331

8.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.7 £74.0

$81.2 £60.9

21.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 £42.74

$49.04 £36.79

16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 £92.5

$108 £81.2

13.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 £65.5

$115 £85.9

-23.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 £769

$1,600 £1,200

-35.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 £607

$1,168 £876

-30.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 £1,225

$2,803 £2,103

-41.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 £929

$2,155 £1,617

-42.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,077 £3,058

$6,714 £5,037

-39.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,258 £2,444

$4,715 £3,538

-30.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,266 £2,450

$3,558 £2,669

-8.21%

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 Dundee: October 18, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dundee

$809 38.8%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 44.4% $359

Groceries & Markets

Dundee

$334 16%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 0.7% $2.2

Eating Out

Dundee

$308 14.8%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 16.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dundee

$298 14.3%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 29.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Dundee

$165 7.9%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 3.6% $5.9

Getting Around

Dundee

$93 4.5%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 33.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Dundee

$77 3.7%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 4.8% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,024 in Dundee and $1,600 in Edinburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 9% 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: $79.0 in Dundee vs $108 in Edinburgh. Groceries flip the comparison at $334 vs $332, with Edinburgh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Dundee

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

Same time as Dundee

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,280

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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Dundee Edinburgh 58 km

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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

Dundee vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dundee and Edinburgh differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($2,083 vs $2,601 including rent). Dundee is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% 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: $1,024 in Dundee versus $1,600 in Edinburgh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dundee runs roughly 70% less than in Edinburgh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,924 in Dundee versus $1,775 in Edinburgh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,083 in Dundee versus $2,601 in Edinburgh, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dundee but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Dundee 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, Dundee 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 Dundee gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.