Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Aberdare

For one person, living is cheaper in Aberdare: $2,363 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Aberdare, United Kingdom
Edinburgh
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,645
/mo nomad
Aberdare
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,363
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Aberdare

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Edinburgh and in Aberdare actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,363 in Aberdare, rent included.

  • Edinburgh $2,645
  • Aberdare $2,363

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,514 in Aberdare, rent included.

  • Edinburgh $4,021
  • Aberdare $3,514

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,664 in Aberdare, rent included.

  • Edinburgh $5,397
  • Aberdare $4,664

Edinburgh costs about 12% more than Aberdare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edinburgh and Aberdare sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Aberdare by 74%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Edinburgh
Aberdare
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.35 £18.19
$23.87 £17.83
2.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$105 £78.7
$111 £82.9
-5.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 £7.82
$10.58 £7.90
-1.04%
Cappuccino
$5.02 £3.75
$5.29 £3.96
-5.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 £1.80
$2.69 £2.01
-10.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 £1.64
$1.75 £1.31
25.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.04 £6.00
$7.84 £5.86
2.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.91 £5.91
$6.76 £5.05
17.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Edinburgh
Aberdare
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 £1.31
$1.38 £1.03
26.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 £1.74
$1.49 £1.11
56.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 £1.75
$2.01 £1.50
16.92%
Eggs
$5.13 £3.83
$1.56 £1.16
228.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.05 £6.76
$8.14 £6.08
11.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.26 £6.92
$9.53 £7.12
-2.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.17 £12.08
$12.85 £9.60
25.84%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 £2.28
$1.35 £1.01
125.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 £1.40
$1.29 £0.97
44.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.35 £2.50
$1.30 £0.97
157.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.75 £2.80
$4.21 £3.14
-10.93%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 £1.53
$1.31 £0.98
56.49%
Onion (1kg)
$1.53 £1.14
$1.35 £1.01
13.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 £1.00
$1.21 £0.91
9.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 £1.41
$2.09 £1.56
-9.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.87 £17.83
$18.96 £14.16
25.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.96 £8.19
$10.82 £8.08
1.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.16 £2.36
$1.35 £1.00
134.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 £2.40
$1.35 £1.01
138.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Edinburgh
Aberdare
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.13 £2.34
$3.67 £2.74
-14.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$99.8 £74.6
$97.9 £73.1
1.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 £4.07
$3.44 £2.57
58.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.90 £1.42
$1.65 £1.23
15.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.50 £21.29
$26.74 £19.98
6.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.06 £1.54
$2.14 £1.60
-3.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$39.3K £29.4K
-2.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.7K £29.7K
$40.8K £30.5K
-2.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edinburgh
Aberdare
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$329 £246
$321 £240
2.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.81 £12.56
$17.50 £13.08
-3.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.13 £32.22
$39.45 £29.47
9.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Edinburgh
Aberdare
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.84 £31.26
$46.89 £35.03
-10.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.33 £17.43
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.67 £10.96
$13.85 £10.35
5.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Edinburgh
Aberdare
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,901 £1,420
$1,570 £1,173
21.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K £19.3K
$25.1K £18.8K
2.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Edinburgh
Aberdare
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.2 £61.4
$99.0 £74.0
-17.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.0 £37.36
$48.12 £35.95
3.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 £79.0
$106 £79.1
-0.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 £86.1
$98.4 £73.5
17.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Edinburgh
Aberdare
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,691 £1,263
$1,233 £921
37.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,205 £900
$1,009 £754
19.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,959 £2,211
$2,108 £1,575
40.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,184 £1,632
$1,636 £1,222
33.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,388 £4,772
$5,008 £3,741
27.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,514 £3,372
$3,903 £2,916
15.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Edinburgh
Aberdare
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,632 £2,713
$3,636 £2,716
-0.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.77
4.87
-2.05%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aberdare: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Edinburgh
$1.2K
Aberdare
$1K 16.3% $196
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edinburgh
$389
Aberdare
$378 2.8% $11
Eating Out
Edinburgh
$361
Aberdare
$357 1.1% $4.1
Groceries & Markets
Edinburgh
$333
Aberdare
$262 21.3% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Edinburgh
$159
Aberdare
$158 0.5% $0.8
Getting Around
Edinburgh
$127
Aberdare
$124 2.4% $3.1
Sport & Entertainment
Edinburgh
$71
Aberdare
$75 4.8% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,233 in Aberdare. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $111 in Aberdare. Groceries tell a different story – $333 in Edinburgh vs $262 in Aberdare – so Aberdare wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Edinburgh
🇬🇧 Aberdare
🕒 Local time
11:39 11:39 AM
11:39 11:39 AM
Same time as Edinburgh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
488,050
29,748
💱 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
  • Edinburgh Aberdare 470 km
From you
  • Edinburgh
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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
Edinburgh vs Aberdare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Edinburgh or Aberdare?
Edinburgh costs about 12% more than Aberdare, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Edinburgh and in Aberdare?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $3,545 in Aberdare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Edinburgh or Aberdare?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Aberdare, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,233 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.
How do dining costs compare in Edinburgh and in Aberdare?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh and $111 in Aberdare. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Edinburgh or in Aberdare?
Groceries cost about 27% more in Edinburgh, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Edinburgh or in Aberdare?
$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,363 in Aberdare. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Aberdare – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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