Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Aberdeen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aberdeen: $2,292 a month against $2,724 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
Learn more

Edinburgh Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
Learn more

Aberdeen Living Index

Jump to prices

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,724

/mo nomad

Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Aberdeen

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 Aberdeen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,724 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,292 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,724
Aberdeen $2,292

A couple spends around $4,109 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,567 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,109
Aberdeen $3,567

A family of three spends $5,494 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,841 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,494
Aberdeen $4,841

Edinburgh costs about 19% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Aberdeen sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 101%, Aberdeen by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.24 £17.98

$20.00 £14.83

21.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £80.3

$102 £75.7

6.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.91

$10.69 £7.93

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.10 £3.78

$4.75 £3.52

7.37%

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

$2.48 £1.84

$2.86 £2.12

-13.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.66

$2.20 £1.63

1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.80

$7.20 £5.34

8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 £6.03

$7.90 £5.86

3.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.55 £1.15

12.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 £1.72

$1.80 £1.33

28.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.73

$2.04 £1.51

14.71%

Eggs

$4.90 £3.64

$4.46 £3.31

9.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £6.95

$8.63 £6.40

8.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 £7.14

$12.31 £9.13

-21.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 £11.73

$16.59 £12.30

-4.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.29

$2.90 £2.15

6.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.36 £1.01

40.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 £2.43

$2.89 £2.14

13.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.65

$3.79 £2.81

-5.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.80 £1.33

10.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.16

$1.45 £1.07

8.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.96

$1.26 £0.93

2.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.43

$1.65 £1.22

16.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 £17.91

$22.68 £16.82

6.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.02

$11.06 £8.20

-2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.36

$2.68 £1.99

18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.43

$3.01 £2.23

8.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 £2.44

$4.11 £3.05

-19.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £74.7

$120 £89.2

-16.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.93

$4.03 £2.99

31.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.80

$2.42 £1.80

0.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.91 £34.79

$24.49 £18.16

91.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$2.17 £1.61

1.84%

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

$38.5K £28.6K

$38.1K £28.3K

1.06%

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

$40.5K £30.0K

$40.7K £30.1K

-0.43%

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

$335 £248

$402 £298

-16.62%

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

$16.31 £12.09

$28.26 £20.96

-42.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.88 £30.32

$42.43 £31.47

-3.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 £31.48

$48.03 £35.62

-11.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.02 £17.82

$22.14 £16.42

8.49%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 £11.14

$11.47 £8.50

30.95%

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

$1,869 £1,386

$1,839 £1,364

1.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K £19.3K

$23.7K £17.6K

9.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 £62.2

$97.4 £72.2

-13.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.78 £35.43

$48.27 £35.80

-1.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.3

$103 £76.4

5.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.3

$114 £84.7

4.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 £1,240

$852 £632

96.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 £944

$788 £584

61.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 £2,233

$1,649 £1,223

82.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 £1,666

$1,593 £1,181

41.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,479 £4,805

$2,635 £1,954

145.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,429 £3,284

$3,197 £2,371

38.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,796 £2,815

$4,053 £3,005

-6.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.11

-6.65%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.3K 46.7%

Aberdeen

$788 34.3% 38.1% $485

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$392 14.4%

Aberdeen

$472 20.6% 20.5% $80

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.3%

Aberdeen

$321 14% 11.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.2%

Aberdeen

$325 14.2% 2.5% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$162 5.9%

Aberdeen

$163 7.1% 1.1% $1.7

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$131 4.8%

Aberdeen

$153 6.7% 16.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$72 2.7%

Aberdeen

$71 3.1% 2.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,673 in Edinburgh versus $852 in Aberdeen. 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 7% higher in Aberdeen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh versus $102 in Aberdeen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $325 – making Aberdeen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

229,060

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Aberdeen 150 km

From you

Edinburgh
Aberdeen

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 Aberdeen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edinburgh costs about 19% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,086 per month in Edinburgh and $3,439 in Aberdeen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aberdeen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $852 there versus $1,673 in Edinburgh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,724 in Edinburgh and $2,292 in Aberdeen. That makes Aberdeen about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,869 per month in Edinburgh and $1,839 in Aberdeen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,724 in Edinburgh and $2,292 in Aberdeen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aberdeen costs $2,292 versus $2,724 in Edinburgh. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.