Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Blackburn

For one person, living is cheaper in Blackburn: $2,041 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Blackburn
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Blackburn Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Blackburn

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Blackburn

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,041 in Blackburn, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Blackburn $2,041

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,009 in Blackburn, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Blackburn $3,009

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,978 in Blackburn, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Blackburn $3,978

Edinburgh costs about 27% more than Blackburn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Blackburn sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Blackburn by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$14.39 £10.80

64.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$57.1 £42.82

90.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$8.12 £6.09

31.90%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$3.93 £2.95

33.59%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.63 £1.97

-5.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.48 £1.11

46.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.45 £3.33

78.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$5.40 £4.05

48.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.62 £1.21

4.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.45 £1.09

62.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.35 £1.76

0.43%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.49 £2.61

42.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$10.81 £8.11

-14.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$8.83 £6.63

5.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$15.85 £11.89

-0.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$1.61 £1.21

86.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.55 £1.16

21.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.38 £1.78

43.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.09 £2.32

18.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.46 £1.10

37.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.52 £1.14

1.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$0.45 £0.34

193.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$0.69 £0.52

179.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$20.04 £15.03

15.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$9.22 £6.92

21.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.27 £1.70

37.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$1.94 £1.46

68.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$2.60 £1.95

20.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$73.9 £55.4

31.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$2.71 £2.04

100.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.03 £1.52

-10.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$18.04 £13.54

56.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.09 £1.57

-0.48%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.4K £28.8K

0.44%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.3K £30.2K

-1.04%

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

$328 £246

$239 £180

37.08%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$16.92 £12.70

-2.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$28.93 £21.70

46.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$45.21 £33.92

-1.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

$12.07 £9.06

90.97%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$9.19 £6.89

56.58%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,073 £805

65.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$22.6K £16.9K

13.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$90.1 £67.6

-9.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$47.45 £35.60

3.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$89.8 £67.4

20.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$68.8 £51.7

66.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,229 £922

30.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$954 £716

22.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$1,863 £1,397

50.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,646 £1,235

30.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,025 £3,770

33.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,894 £2,921

21.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$2,139 £1,605

66.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.99

-4.41%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Blackburn: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Blackburn

$954 46.7% 18.3% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Blackburn

$285 14% 26.3% $102

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Blackburn

$236 11.6% 34.2% $123

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Blackburn

$272 13.3% 18.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Blackburn

$133 6.5% 16.1% $26

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Blackburn

$97 4.8% 21.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Blackburn

$64 3.1% 13.1% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,229 in Blackburn. 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 66% higher in Edinburgh, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh versus $57.0 in Blackburn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $272 – making Blackburn the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Blackburn

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

105,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Edinburgh Blackburn 250 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 Blackburn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,601 in Edinburgh, $2,041 in Blackburn – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,061 in Blackburn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,601 in Edinburgh and $2,041 in Blackburn. That's a gap of about 27%.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Blackburn. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Blackburn, where all-in costs run around $2,041, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Blackburn it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Edinburgh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,041 in Blackburn to $2,601 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.

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