Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Durham: $2,073 a month against $2,625 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,073 in Durham versus $2,625 in Edinburgh.

Durham $2,073
Edinburgh $2,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,286 in Durham versus $3,915 in Edinburgh.

Durham $3,286
Edinburgh $3,915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,498 in Durham versus $5,205 in Edinburgh.

Durham $4,498
Edinburgh $5,205

Living in Durham costs roughly 21% less than in Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durham 55% above, Edinburgh 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 £14.79

$24.18 £18.27

-19.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.4 £70.6

$106 £80.0

-11.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 £8.61

$10.45 £7.90

9.09%

Cappuccino

$4.56 £3.44

$5.24 £3.96

-12.98%

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

$2.54 £1.92

$2.48 £1.88

2.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.16 £1.63

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 £4.59

$7.95 £6.01

-23.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.03

$8.09 £6.11

-34.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.70 £1.28

14.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.17

$2.34 £1.77

-34.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.33 £1.76

30.04%

Eggs

$4.37 £3.30

$5.17 £3.91

-15.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 £7.57

$9.33 £7.05

7.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 £6.69

$9.42 £7.12

-5.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 £16.13

$15.77 £11.92

35.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.21

$3.06 £2.32

-4.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 £1.91

$1.96 £1.48

29.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 £2.08

$3.34 £2.52

-17.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 £3.84

$3.61 £2.73

40.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.18

$2.01 £1.52

-22.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.29

$1.52 £1.15

11.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.80

$1.27 £0.96

-16.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.42

$1.83 £1.39

2.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.61 £17.84

$23.49 £17.75

0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 £8.04

$11.05 £8.35

-3.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.50

$3.23 £2.44

2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.38

$3.21 £2.42

-1.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 £2.44

$3.10 £2.34

4.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.9 £65.7

$95.8 £72.4

-9.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 £4.83

$5.23 £3.95

22.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$1.89 £1.43

2.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 £17.89

$28.39 £21.46

-16.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.42

$2.07 £1.56

-9.18%

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

$37.8K £28.6K

$37.9K £28.6K

-0.04%

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

$41.1K £31.1K

$39.7K £30.0K

3.51%

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

$265 £200

$324 £245

-18.46%

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

$15.21 £11.49

$16.36 £12.37

-7.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.95 £32.45

$43.13 £32.60

-0.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.78 £35.35

$44.93 £33.95

4.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.12 £17.47

Cinema Ticket

$12.51 £9.45

$14.35 £10.84

-12.82%

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

$1,300 £982

$1,783 £1,348

-27.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £19.1K

$25.1K £19.0K

0.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £80.3

$81.8 £61.8

30.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 £53.9

$49.85 £37.67

43.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 £86.1

$107 £81.0

6.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £73.5

$117 £88.8

-17.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,539 £1,163

$1,623 £1,227

-5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 £562

$1,180 £892

-37.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 £2,011

$2,741 £2,071

-2.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 £1,183

$2,084 £1,575

-24.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,034 £3,804

$6,661 £5,034

-24.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,919

$4,622 £3,492

-16.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,064 £1,559

$3,603 £2,723

-42.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

4.77

8.60%

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

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durham

$743 35.7%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.1% 58.7% $437

Groceries & Markets

Durham

$348 16.7%

Edinburgh

$332 12.7% 4.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham

$323 15.5%

Edinburgh

$384 14.7% 19% $61

Eating Out

Durham

$305 14.6%

Edinburgh

$362 13.9% 18.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Durham

$175 8.4%

Edinburgh

$160 6.1% 8.4% $15

Getting Around

Durham

$116 5.6%

Edinburgh

$123 4.7% 6% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Durham

$72 3.5%

Edinburgh

$74 2.8% 2.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,539 in Durham and $1,623 in Edinburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 75% 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: $93.0 in Durham vs $106 in Edinburgh. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $332, with Edinburgh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Durham

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

Same time as Durham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,100

488,050

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Durham
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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

Durham vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durham and Edinburgh differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,073 vs $2,625 including rent). Durham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% 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: $1,539 in Durham versus $1,623 in Edinburgh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,073 per month in Durham versus $2,625 in Edinburgh – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Durham runs roughly 10% less than in Edinburgh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Durham is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Durham 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 Durham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.