Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Brecon

For one person, living is cheaper in Brecon: $2,487 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Brecon
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Brecon Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Brecon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Brecon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,645 in Edinburgh versus $2,487 in Brecon.

Edinburgh $2,645
Brecon $2,487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,021 in Edinburgh versus $3,590 in Brecon.

Edinburgh $4,021
Brecon $3,590

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,397 in Edinburgh versus $4,692 in Brecon.

Edinburgh $5,397
Brecon $4,692

Living in Edinburgh is roughly 6% more expensive than in Brecon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 94% above, Brecon 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.32

$23.64 £17.79

3.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £79.2

$79.4 £59.7

32.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.88

$13.35 £10.05

-21.57%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.78

$4.92 £3.70

2.03%

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

$2.41 £1.82

$2.62 £1.97

-8.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.65

$2.42 £1.82

-9.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.05

$6.61 £4.98

21.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.95

$5.93 £4.46

33.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.72 £1.29

1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.75

$1.88 £1.42

23.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.77

$2.05 £1.54

14.63%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.86

$4.29 £3.22

19.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.81

$9.33 £7.02

-3.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.97

$10.39 £7.82

-10.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.17

$20.36 £15.32

-20.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$4.22 £3.18

-27.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.50 £1.13

24.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.52

$1.89 £1.42

77.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.83

$3.54 £2.66

5.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.53 £1.15

33.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.84 £1.38

-16.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.59 £1.20

-16.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.44 £1.08

31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.96

$23.26 £17.51

2.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.25

$11.39 £8.57

-3.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.37

$3.21 £2.42

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$3.02 £2.27

6.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.36

$3.49 £2.63

-10.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £75.1

$96.8 £72.8

3.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.10

$5.03 £3.79

8.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.43

$2.07 £1.56

-8.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.45

$26.24 £19.75

8.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$2.11 £1.59

-2.37%

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

$38.2K £28.8K

$39.0K £29.3K

-1.85%

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

$39.7K £29.9K

$40.3K £30.3K

-1.42%

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

$329 £248

$381 £286

-13.49%

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

$16.81 £12.65

$24.31 £18.30

-30.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.46

$49.71 £37.41

-13.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.49

$45.81 £34.48

-8.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.56

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £11.04

$18.03 £13.57

-18.64%

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

$1,901 £1,430

$1,338 £1,007

42.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.4K

$22.2K £16.7K

16.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.8

$66.8 £50.2

23.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.63

$46.02 £34.64

8.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.6

$74.3 £55.9

42.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.7

$78.6 £59.1

46.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,273

$1,224 £921

38.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £907

$1,017 £766

18.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,227

$2,098 £1,579

41.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,644

$1,635 £1,231

33.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,807

$4,974 £3,744

28.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,397

$3,819 £2,874

18.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,733

$3,622 £2,726

0.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.25

-9.14%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brecon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Brecon

$1K 40.9% 15.6% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Brecon

$455 18.3% 16.8% $65

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Brecon

$353 14.2% 2.1% $7.6

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Brecon

$335 13.5% 0.6% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Brecon

$120 4.8% 24.8% $39

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Brecon

$126 5.1% 0.9% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Brecon

$82 3.3% 15% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,691 in Edinburgh and $1,224 in Brecon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $105 in Edinburgh vs $79 in Brecon. Groceries flip the comparison at $333 vs $335, with Edinburgh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Brecon

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

8,200

💱 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 Brecon 450 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 Brecon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brecon is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,968 in Edinburgh and $3,731 in Brecon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,224 in Brecon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,901 in Edinburgh versus $1,338 in Brecon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brecon – a meal for two runs $79 versus $105 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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