Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Braintree

For one person, living is cheaper in Braintree: $2,195 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Braintree
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Braintree Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Braintree

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,195

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Braintree

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,195 in Braintree, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Braintree $2,195

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,258 in Braintree, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Braintree $3,258

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,321 in Braintree, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Braintree $4,321

Edinburgh costs about 21% more than Braintree, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edinburgh and Braintree sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Braintree by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.18

$19.58 £14.62

24.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.6

$93.5 £69.8

12.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.81

$10.45 £7.80

0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.78 £3.57

5.02%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$1.82 £1.36

32.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.16 £0.86

88.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$6.51 £4.86

23.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$6.07 £4.53

30.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.44 £1.08

21.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.39 £1.04

67.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.62 £1.21

45.06%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$3.14 £2.34

63.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$8.72 £6.51

3.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$7.76 £5.79

19.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$12.71 £9.49

27.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$3.17 £2.36

-3.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.41 £1.05

32.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.51 £1.87

33.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$2.85 £2.13

31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.65 £1.23

24.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.42 £1.06

7.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.25 £0.94

6.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.41 £1.05

34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.82

$23.26 £17.37

2.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.18

$9.34 £6.97

17.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$2.68 £2.00

17.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$2.47 £1.84

30.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.61 £2.69

-13.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.5

$96.3 £71.9

3.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$4.96 £3.70

9.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.35 £1.01

40.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.28

$21.38 £15.96

33.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$38.9K £29.1K

-1.74%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$40.4K £30.2K

-1.75%

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

$329 £246

$249 £186

32.09%

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

$16.81 £12.55

$14.32 £10.69

17.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.20

$40.27 £30.07

7.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.24

$46.11 £34.43

-9.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.42

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.95

$20.92 £15.62

-29.88%

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

$1,901 £1,419

$1,080 £807

75.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.2K

$20.0K £15.0K

28.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$70.8 £52.8

16.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.34

$31.00 £23.14

61.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.9

$78.4 £58.6

34.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$50.6 £37.81

127.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$1,247 £931

35.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$1,009 £754

19.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,209

$2,145 £1,602

37.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,631

$1,654 £1,235

32.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,769

$5,080 £3,793

25.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,370

$3,911 £2,920

15.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,712

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.67

2.14%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Braintree: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Braintree

$1K 46% 16.2% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Braintree

$304 13.8% 21.9% $85

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Braintree

$302 13.8% 16.3% $59

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Braintree

$266 12.1% 20.1% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Braintree

$104 4.7% 34.6% $55

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Braintree

$122 5.6% 3.8% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Braintree

$88 4% 23.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,247 in Braintree. 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 $93 in Braintree. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $266 – making Braintree the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Braintree

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

151,677

💱 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 Braintree 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Braintree

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 Braintree: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,645 in Edinburgh, $2,195 in Braintree – Braintree comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $3,293 in Braintree. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Braintree, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,247 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Edinburgh, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh and $93 in Braintree. 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 $2,195 in Braintree, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Braintree – 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.

For expats, Braintree is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 17% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.