Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Abingdon-on-Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Abingdon-on-Thames: $2,223 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Abingdon-on-Thames
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Abingdon-on-Thames Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Abingdon-on-Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Abingdon-on-Thames

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 Abingdon-on-Thames actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,601 in Edinburgh versus $2,223 in Abingdon-on-Thames.

Edinburgh $2,601
Abingdon-on-Thames $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,985 in Edinburgh versus $3,362 in Abingdon-on-Thames.

Edinburgh $3,985
Abingdon-on-Thames $3,362

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,369 in Edinburgh versus $4,501 in Abingdon-on-Thames.

Edinburgh $5,369
Abingdon-on-Thames $4,501

Living in Edinburgh is roughly 17% more expensive than in Abingdon-on-Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 92% above, Abingdon-on-Thames 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$20.05 £15.05

18.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$78.8 £59.1

37.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.72 £8.05

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.09 £3.07

28.36%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.44 £1.83

1.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$2.10 £1.57

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.79 £4.35

37.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$5.47 £4.10

46.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.46 £1.09

15.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.83 £1.38

28.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.77 £2.08

-14.80%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$4.09 £3.07

21.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$9.52 £7.15

-3.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$7.95 £5.96

17.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$16.33 £12.25

-3.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.10 £2.32

-2.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.57 £1.17

19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.73 £2.05

25.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.57 £2.68

2.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.17 £0.88

71.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.85 £1.39

-16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.24 £0.93

6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.32 £0.99

46.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$23.49 £17.63

-1.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.24 £7.68

9.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$1.90 £1.42

64.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.02 £2.26

8.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.64 £2.73

-13.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$95.2 £71.4

1.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$4.09 £3.07

32.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$4.09 £3.07

-55.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$32.20 £24.16

-12.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.86 £1.40

11.83%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.9K £29.2K

-0.84%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.1K £30.1K

-0.67%

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

$328 £246

$197 £148

66.42%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$17.57 £13.18

-6.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$43.95 £32.97

-3.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$46.75 £35.08

-5.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$13.46 £10.10

6.91%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,790 £1,343

-0.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$24.4K £18.3K

4.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$72.7 £54.5

11.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$33.50 £25.14

46.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$73.6 £55.2

47.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$109 £81.4

5.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,232 £924

29.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,032 £774

13.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,090 £1,568

34.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,824 £1,368

18.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,452 £4,090

23.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$4,419 £3,315

6.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$3,592 £2,694

-0.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.21

-8.45%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Abingdon-on-Thames: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$1K 46.4% 11.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$259 11.6% 33.1% $128

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$300 13.5% 16.4% $59

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$295 13.3% 11% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$130 5.8% 18.3% $29

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$134 6% 8.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$74 3.3% 0.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,600 in Edinburgh and $1,232 in Abingdon-on-Thames. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abingdon-on-Thames pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $108 in Edinburgh vs $79.0 in Abingdon-on-Thames for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $295 per month, with Abingdon-on-Thames cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Abingdon-on-Thames

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

38,676

💱 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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Edinburgh Abingdon-on-Thames 490 km

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Edinburgh
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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

Edinburgh vs Abingdon-on-Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abingdon-on-Thames wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Edinburgh. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Abingdon-on-Thames the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Abingdon-on-Thames. 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: $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,232 in Abingdon-on-Thames. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Edinburgh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Abingdon-on-Thames – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $108 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Abingdon-on-Thames versus $2,601 in Edinburgh, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Abingdon-on-Thames but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Abingdon-on-Thames the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Abingdon-on-Thames delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Abingdon-on-Thames hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Edinburgh and Abingdon-on-Thames 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 Abingdon-on-Thames gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.