Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Belfast

For one person, living is cheaper in Belfast: $2,346 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Edinburgh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Belfast
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Belfast Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Belfast

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Belfast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,645 in Edinburgh versus $2,346 in Belfast.

Edinburgh $2,645
Belfast $2,346

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,021 in Edinburgh versus $3,435 in Belfast.

Edinburgh $4,021
Belfast $3,435

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,397 in Edinburgh versus $4,524 in Belfast.

Edinburgh $5,397
Belfast $4,524

Living in Edinburgh is roughly 13% more expensive than in Belfast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 94% above, Belfast 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.19

$25.29 £18.89

-3.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$91.5 £68.4

15.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.82

$10.80 £8.07

-3.06%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.92 £3.67

2.03%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$3.04 £2.27

-20.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$2.06 £1.54

6.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$8.06 £6.02

-0.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$8.05 £6.01

-1.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.82 £1.36

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$2.31 £1.72

0.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.71 £2.02

-13.28%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$4.62 £3.45

11.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$10.69 £7.99

-15.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$11.04 £8.25

-16.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$15.80 £11.80

2.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$3.14 £2.35

-2.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.00 £1.50

-6.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$3.36 £2.51

-0.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$4.02 £3.00

-6.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$2.28 £1.70

-10.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.59 £1.18

-3.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.35 £1.01

-1.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.88 £1.40

0.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.83

$23.61 £17.64

1.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.19

$12.41 £9.27

-11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$2.73 £2.04

15.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.10 £2.31

3.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.16 £2.36

-0.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.6

$99.0 £73.9

0.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$4.53 £3.39

20.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.51 £1.13

25.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.29

$19.68 £14.70

44.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.10 £1.57

-1.90%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.2K £28.5K

0.08%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$40.8K £30.4K

-2.55%

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

$329 £246

$272 £203

20.89%

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

$16.81 £12.56

$24.30 £18.15

-30.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.22

$46.23 £34.54

-6.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.26

$43.92 £32.81

-4.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.43

$10.54 £7.87

121.35%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.96

$14.14 £10.57

3.75%

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

$1,901 £1,420

$1,566 £1,170

21.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.3K

$17.8K £13.3K

44.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$81.9 £61.2

0.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.36

$46.61 £34.82

7.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.0

$108 £80.7

-2.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.1

$104 £77.5

11.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$1,229 £918

37.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$935 £698

28.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,211

$1,880 £1,405

57.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,632

$1,393 £1,041

56.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,772

$4,107 £3,068

55.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,372

$2,541 £1,898

77.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,713

$3,295 £2,462

10.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.91

-2.85%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Belfast: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Belfast

$935 39.8% 22.4% $270

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Belfast

$343 14.6% 11.9% $46

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Belfast

$371 15.8% 2.7% $9.7

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Belfast

$349 14.9% 4.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Belfast

$153 6.5% 3.6% $5.8

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Belfast

$124 5.3% 2.9% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Belfast

$72 3.1% 1.5% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,691 in Edinburgh and $1,229 in Belfast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $105 in Edinburgh vs $92 in Belfast. Groceries flip the comparison at $333 vs $349, with Edinburgh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Belfast

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

348,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Edinburgh Belfast 230 km

From you

Edinburgh
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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 Belfast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belfast is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% 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: $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,229 in Belfast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,901 in Edinburgh versus $1,566 in Belfast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Belfast – a meal for two runs $92 versus $105 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Belfast is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Edinburgh, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Edinburgh and Belfast are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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