Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Brentwood

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $3,111 in Brentwood, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brentwood outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
150

Cost of Living Index in Brentwood
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Brentwood Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Brentwood

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,111

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Brentwood

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,111 in Brentwood, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Brentwood $3,111

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,366 in Brentwood, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Brentwood $4,366

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,620 in Brentwood, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Brentwood $5,620

Edinburgh is about 15% cheaper than Brentwood, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Edinburgh and Brentwood sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Brentwood by 129%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.18

$19.84 £14.81

22.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.6

$81.4 £60.8

29.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.81

$11.77 £8.79

-11.05%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.88 £3.64

2.87%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$1.89 £1.41

27.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.15 £0.86

90.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$6.69 £4.99

20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$5.95 £4.44

32.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.69 £1.26

3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.10 £0.82

111.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.25 £1.68

4.44%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$4.10 £3.06

25.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$8.32 £6.21

8.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$6.27 £4.68

47.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$13.08 £9.76

23.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$3.22 £2.40

-5.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.43 £1.07

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.57 £1.92

30.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$2.88 £2.15

30.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$0.75 £0.56

173.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.24 £0.93

23.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$0.84 £0.63

58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.31 £0.98

44.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.82

$17.20 £12.85

38.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.18

$9.37 £7.00

16.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$2.10 £1.57

50.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$2.12 £1.58

51.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$5.21 £3.89

-39.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.5

$95.3 £71.1

4.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$5.03 £3.76

8.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.43 £1.07

32.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.28

$22.24 £16.60

28.15%

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 £28.5K

$39.3K £29.3K

-2.70%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$40.1K £29.9K

-0.94%

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

$329 £246

$316 £236

4.24%

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

$16.81 £12.55

$14.14 £10.56

18.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.20

$41.24 £30.79

4.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.24

$33.66 £25.13

24.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.42

$23.07 £17.23

1.13%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.95

$20.57 £15.36

-28.68%

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

$1,901 £1,419

$1,914 £1,429

-0.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.2K

$22.4K £16.7K

14.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$92.3 £68.9

-10.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.34

$39.45 £29.46

26.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.9

$81.0 £60.5

30.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$96.7 £72.2

19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$1,527 £1,140

10.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$1,832 £1,368

-34.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,209

$2,781 £2,077

6.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,631

$2,858 £2,134

-23.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,769

$5,041 £3,764

26.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,370

$3,864 £2,885

16.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,712

$3,389 £2,530

7.18%

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 Brentwood: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Brentwood

$1.8K 58.9% 52% $627

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Brentwood

$371 11.9% 4.6% $18

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Brentwood

$310 10% 14.1% $51

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Brentwood

$256 8.2% 23.2% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Brentwood

$139 4.5% 12.4% $20

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Brentwood

$128 4.1% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Brentwood

$75 2.4% 5.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,527 in Brentwood. 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 7% higher in Edinburgh, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $81 in Brentwood. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $256 – making Brentwood the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Brentwood

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

76,575

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Brentwood 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Brentwood

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 Brentwood: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brentwood costs about 18% more than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $4,667 in Brentwood. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Brentwood, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,527 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh and $81 in Brentwood. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $3,111 in Brentwood. That makes Edinburgh about 15% cheaper.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,645 in Edinburgh and $3,111 in Brentwood. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Edinburgh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,645 in Edinburgh to $3,111 in Brentwood. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.