Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Bangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangor: $1,926 a month against $2,724 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Bangor
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Bangor Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,724

/mo nomad

Bangor

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Bangor

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,724 in Edinburgh versus $1,926 in Bangor.

Edinburgh $2,724
Bangor $1,926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,109 in Edinburgh versus $3,051 in Bangor.

Edinburgh $4,109
Bangor $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,494 in Edinburgh versus $4,176 in Bangor.

Edinburgh $5,494
Bangor $4,176

Living in Edinburgh is roughly 41% more expensive than in Bangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 101% above, Bangor 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.24 £18.02

$23.76 £17.66

2.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £80.4

$84.0 £62.4

28.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.93

$10.08 £7.49

5.85%

Cappuccino

$5.10 £3.79

$4.32 £3.21

18.06%

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

$2.48 £1.85

$2.01 £1.49

23.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.66

$1.93 £1.44

16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.81

$6.59 £4.90

18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 £6.05

$7.51 £5.58

8.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.85 £1.37

-5.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 £1.73

$2.22 £1.65

4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.74

$2.30 £1.71

1.74%

Eggs

$4.90 £3.65

$4.03 £3.00

21.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £6.96

$10.32 £7.67

-9.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 £7.15

$10.54 £7.84

-8.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 £11.75

$15.47 £11.50

2.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.30

$2.65 £1.97

16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.76 £1.31

8.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 £2.43

$2.46 £1.83

32.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.66

$3.40 £2.53

5.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.52 £1.13

30.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.78 £1.33

-11.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.96

$1.30 £0.96

-0.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.77 £1.32

9.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 £17.95

$23.47 £17.45

2.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.04

$10.12 £7.52

6.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.36

$3.12 £2.32

1.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.43

$3.23 £2.40

1.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 £2.44

$4.04 £3.00

-18.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £74.9

$99.6 £74.0

1.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.93

$4.70 £3.50

12.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.80

$2.23 £1.66

8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.91 £34.86

$24.98 £18.57

87.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.97 £1.47

12.18%

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

$38.5K £28.6K

$36.5K £27.1K

5.49%

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

$40.5K £30.1K

-0.07%

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

$335 £249

$319 £237

4.80%

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

$16.31 £12.12

$24.19 £17.98

-32.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.88 £30.38

$40.03 £29.75

2.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 £31.55

$43.68 £32.47

-2.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.02 £17.86

$20.37 £15.14

17.92%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 £11.16

$14.18 £10.54

5.92%

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

$1,869 £1,389

$1,896 £1,409

-1.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K £19.4K

$26.5K £19.7K

-1.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 £62.3

$114 £84.6

-26.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.78 £35.51

$52.5 £39.02

-8.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.5

$105 £77.7

3.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.5

$121 £90.2

-1.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 £1,243

$604 £449

176.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 £946

$503 £374

153.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 £2,238

$1,275 £948

136.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 £1,670

$1,089 £810

106.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,479 £4,815

$5,872 £4,364

10.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,429 £3,292

$4,308 £3,202

2.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,796 £2,821

$2,398 £1,782

58.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.5

-13.27%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bangor: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.3K 46.7%

Bangor

$503 26.1% 60.5% $770

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$392 14.4%

Bangor

$384 19.9% 2.1% $8.3

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.3%

Bangor

$336 17.4% 7% $25

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.2%

Bangor

$324 16.8% 2.7% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$162 5.9%

Bangor

$176 9.2% 9.2% $15

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$131 4.8%

Bangor

$132 6.8% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$72 2.7%

Bangor

$72 3.7% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in Edinburgh and $604 in Bangor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 58% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $108 in Edinburgh vs $84 in Bangor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $324 per month, with Bangor cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Bangor

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

17,988

💱 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

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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 Bangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangor is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Edinburgh, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,673 in Edinburgh versus $604 in Bangor. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Edinburgh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,724 per month in Edinburgh versus $1,926 in Bangor – Bangor is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,926 in Bangor versus $2,724 in Edinburgh, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Bangor but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Bangor 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, Edinburgh and Bangor are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bangor wins on affordability, Edinburgh on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.