Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Bradford

For one person, living is cheaper in Bradford: $2,137 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Bradford
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Bradford Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Bradford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Bradford

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,137 in Bradford, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Bradford $2,137

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,090 in Bradford, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Bradford $3,090

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,043 in Bradford, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Bradford $4,043

Edinburgh costs about 24% more than Bradford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Bradford sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Bradford by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.19

$20.93 £15.64

16.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$71.3 £53.3

47.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.82

$11.80 £8.82

-11.27%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$3.44 £2.57

45.93%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.40 £1.79

0.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$2.04 £1.53

7.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$4.65 £3.47

72.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$4.17 £3.11

89.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.25 £0.93

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.42 £1.06

64.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$3.74 £2.80

-37.17%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$3.71 £2.77

38.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$7.92 £5.92

14.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$7.06 £5.28

31.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$13.98 £10.45

15.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$3.15 £2.35

-3.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.85 £2.13

-34.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$3.52 £2.63

-4.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$3.82 £2.85

-1.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.73 £1.29

18.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.79 £1.34

-14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.15 £0.86

15.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.92 £1.43

-1.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.83

$22.78 £17.02

4.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.19

$9.22 £6.89

18.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$4.80 £3.59

-34.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.57 £2.67

-9.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$2.65 £1.98

18.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.6

$115 £86.2

-13.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$4.36 £3.25

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.29

$33.15 £24.76

-14.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.99 £1.49

3.52%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.7K £28.9K

-1.19%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$39.8K £29.7K

-0.25%

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

$329 £246

$353 £263

-6.64%

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

$16.81 £12.56

$26.05 £19.46

-35.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.22

$44.31 £33.11

-2.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.26

$35.57 £26.58

17.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.43

$19.79 £14.78

17.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.96

$17.40 £13.00

-15.69%

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

$1,901 £1,420

$1,596 £1,192

19.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$108 £80.7

-23.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.36

$57.0 £42.59

-12.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.0

$114 £85.1

-7.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.1

$112 £84.0

2.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$877 £655

92.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$734 £548

64.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,211

$1,375 £1,027

115.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,632

$1,123 £839

94.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,772

$3,947 £2,948

61.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,372

$2,746 £2,051

64.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,713

$3,443 £2,572

5.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.53

-13.74%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bradford: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Bradford

$734 34.3% 39.1% $471

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Bradford

$423 19.8% 8.7% $34

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Bradford

$293 13.7% 18.7% $67

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Bradford

$309 14.5% 7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Bradford

$176 8.2% 10.8% $17

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Bradford

$130 * 6.1% 2.3% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Bradford

$70 3.3% 1.1% $0.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $877 in Bradford. 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 5% 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 $105 in Edinburgh versus $71 in Bradford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $309 – making Bradford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Bradford

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

293,717

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Bradford 260 km

From you

Edinburgh
Bradford

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 Bradford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,645 in Edinburgh, $2,137 in Bradford – Bradford comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $3,205 in Bradford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bradford, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $877 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Edinburgh, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh and $71 in Bradford. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,137 in Bradford, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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