Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Barry

For one person, living is cheaper in Barry: $2,367 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Barry
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Barry Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Barry

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,367

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Barry

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,367 in Barry, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Barry $2,367

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,494 in Barry, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Barry $3,494

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,621 in Barry, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Barry $4,621

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.30

$24.07 £18.09

1.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £79.1

$84.0 £63.2

25.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.87

$10.72 £8.05

-2.33%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.77

$4.54 £3.41

10.57%

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

$2.41 £1.81

$2.69 £2.02

-10.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.65

$2.03 £1.53

7.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.04

$7.77 £5.84

3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.94

$6.63 £4.98

19.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.67 £1.26

4.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.75

$1.72 £1.29

35.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.76

$2.23 £1.67

5.38%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.85

$4.47 £3.36

14.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.80

$8.10 £6.08

11.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.96

$9.74 £7.32

-4.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.15

$13.10 £9.85

23.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$2.69 £2.02

13.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.54 £1.16

21.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.52

$3.02 £2.27

10.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.82

$3.58 £2.69

4.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.94 £1.46

5.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.51 £1.14

1.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.06 £0.80

25.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.63 £1.23

15.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.94

$23.68 £17.80

0.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.24

$10.52 £7.91

4.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.37

$3.06 £2.30

3.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$3.52 £2.65

-8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.36

$3.68 £2.77

-14.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £75.0

$96.0 £72.1

3.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.10

$4.52 £3.40

20.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.69 £1.27

12.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.42

$27.05 £20.33

5.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$2.13 £1.60

-3.29%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$39.0K £29.3K

-1.97%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$40.7K £30.6K

-2.36%

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

$329 £247

$324 £244

1.53%

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

$16.81 £12.63

$23.15 £17.40

-27.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.41

$38.79 £29.16

11.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.45

$45.41 £34.13

-7.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.53

$5.94 £4.47

292.76%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £11.02

$10.75 £8.08

36.47%

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

$1,901 £1,428

$1,998 £1,502

-4.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.4K

$25.4K £19.1K

1.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.8

$101 £76.1

-18.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.58

$48.63 £36.55

2.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.4

$109 £81.9

-2.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.6

$97.9 £73.6

17.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,271

$1,188 £893

42.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £906

$977 £735

23.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,224

$2,111 £1,586

40.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,642

$1,636 £1,229

33.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,801

$5,049 £3,794

26.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,392

$3,915 £2,942

15.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,730

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 Barry: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Barry

$977 41.3% 18.9% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Barry

$386 16.3% 0.8% $2.9

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Barry

$350 14.8% 2.9% $11

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Barry

$302 12.8% 9.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Barry

$161 6.8% 1% $1.6

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Barry

$124 5.2% 2.9% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Barry

$67 2.8% 6% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,188 in Barry. 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 $84 in Barry. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $302 – making Barry the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Barry

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

54,673

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Edinburgh Barry 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Barry

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 Barry: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $3,550 in Barry. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barry, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,188 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

Kindergarten costs $1,901 per month in Edinburgh and $1,998 in Barry. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Edinburgh, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

It depends on your priorities. Edinburgh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,367 in Barry to $2,645 in Edinburgh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

For expats, Barry is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 12% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.