Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Barnet

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,601 a month against $2,941 in Barnet, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barnet outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Barnet
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Barnet Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Barnet

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Barnet

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,941 in Barnet, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Barnet $2,941

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,337 in Barnet, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Barnet $4,337

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,732 in Barnet, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Barnet $5,732

Edinburgh is about 12% cheaper than Barnet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and Barnet sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Barnet by 117%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$23.54 £17.66

0.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$92.0 £69.0

17.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.76 £8.07

-0.46%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$5.76 £4.32

-8.85%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.89 £2.17

-14.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.93 £1.45

12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$7.99 £6.00

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.56 £4.92

21.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.64 £1.23

3.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.79 £1.34

31.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.52 £1.89

-6.35%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$4.82 £3.61

2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$11.56 £8.67

-20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$10.61 £7.96

-12.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$17.26 £12.95

-8.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.03 £2.27

-0.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.76 £1.32

6.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$3.05 £2.29

12.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.46 £2.60

6.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.82 £1.36

10.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.83 £1.37

-15.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.24 £0.93

6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.80 £1.35

7.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$24.04 £18.04

-3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$12.00 £9.00

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.21 £2.41

-2.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$4.53 £3.40

-27.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$2.29 £1.72

37.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$5.57 £4.18

-2.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.63 £1.97

-30.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$50.1 £37.56

-43.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.07 £1.56

0.48%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.8K £29.1K

-0.65%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$41.1K £30.8K

-2.96%

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

$328 £246

$338 £253

-2.79%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$18.82 £14.12

-12.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$40.52 £30.40

4.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$17.19 £12.90

-16.29%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$2,564 £1,924

-30.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$35.2K £26.4K

-27.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$90.1 £67.6

-9.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$46.56 £34.93

5.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$92.0 £69.0

17.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$129 £96.6

-11.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,984 £1,488

-19.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,616 £1,213

-27.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$3,261 £2,446

-14.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$2,847 £2,136

-24.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$14.2K £10.7K

-52.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$14.4K £10.8K

-67.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$2,685 £2,015

32.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.74

0.63%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barnet: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Barnet

$1.6K 55% 38.4% $449

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Barnet

$397 13.5% 2.6% $10

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Barnet

$362 12.3% 0.9% $3.3

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Barnet

$343 11.7% 3.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Barnet

$161 5.5% 1.3% $2

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Barnet

$28 * 1% 77.6% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Barnet

$34 * 1.2% 53% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,984 in Barnet. 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 32% higher in Edinburgh, 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 $92.0 in Barnet. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Edinburgh vs $343 in Barnet – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Barnet

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

111,973

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Barnet 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Barnet

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 Barnet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barnet is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $4,412 in Barnet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edinburgh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh and $92.0 in Barnet. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Barnet, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,601 in Edinburgh and $2,941 in Barnet. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Edinburgh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Edinburgh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barnet makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.