Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Bridgend

For one person, living is cheaper in Bridgend: $2,416 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Bridgend
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Bridgend Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Bridgend

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Bridgend

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,645 in Edinburgh versus $2,416 in Bridgend.

Edinburgh $2,645
Bridgend $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,021 in Edinburgh versus $3,560 in Bridgend.

Edinburgh $4,021
Bridgend $3,560

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,397 in Edinburgh versus $4,705 in Bridgend.

Edinburgh $5,397
Bridgend $4,705

Living in Edinburgh is roughly 9% more expensive than in Bridgend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 94% above, Bridgend 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.32

$20.83 £15.68

16.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £79.2

$86.0 £64.8

22.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.88

$10.62 £7.99

-1.41%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.78

$4.70 £3.54

6.81%

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

$2.41 £1.82

$2.43 £1.83

-0.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.65

$1.84 £1.38

19.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.05

$6.57 £4.94

22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.95

$6.50 £4.90

21.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.60 £1.20

9.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.75

$1.84 £1.38

26.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.77

$2.91 £2.19

-19.24%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.86

$6.16 £4.63

-16.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.81

$9.17 £6.90

-1.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.97

$11.45 £8.62

-19.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.17

$14.57 £10.96

10.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$2.92 £2.20

4.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.52 £1.14

23.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.52

$2.77 £2.08

20.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.83

$3.27 £2.46

14.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.66 £1.25

23.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.61 £1.21

-4.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.26 £0.95

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.50 £1.13

26.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.96

$24.07 £18.11

-0.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.25

$10.83 £8.15

1.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.37

$2.85 £2.15

10.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$3.20 £2.41

0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.36

$3.57 £2.68

-12.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £75.1

$96.6 £72.7

3.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.10

$4.99 £3.75

9.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.43

$2.16 £1.63

-12.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.45

$26.08 £19.63

9.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$1.95 £1.47

5.64%

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

$38.2K £28.8K

$39.3K £29.6K

-2.68%

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

$39.7K £29.9K

$49.6K £37.4K

-19.99%

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

$329 £248

$364 £274

-9.47%

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

$16.81 £12.65

$25.73 £19.36

-34.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.46

$35.16 £26.46

22.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.49

$49.34 £37.13

-15.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.56

$10.48 £7.89

122.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £11.04

$13.47 £10.14

8.91%

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

$1,901 £1,430

$1,597 £1,202

19.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.4K

$22.5K £16.9K

14.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.8

$87.2 £65.6

-5.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.63

$45.70 £34.40

9.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.6

$88.5 £66.6

19.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.7

$93.2 £70.1

23.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,273

$1,238 £932

36.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £907

$1,005 £756

19.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,227

$1,154 £868

156.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,644

$1,692 £1,273

29.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,807

$5,100 £3,838

25.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,397

$3,837 £2,888

17.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,733

$2,278 £1,715

59.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.09

-6.29%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bridgend: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Bridgend

$1K 41.6% 16.6% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Bridgend

$425 17.6% 9.1% $35

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Bridgend

$318 13.2% 11.9% $43

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Bridgend

$324 13.4% 2.7% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Bridgend

$142 5.9% 10.9% $17

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Bridgend

$127 5.2% 0.5% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Bridgend

$76 3.2% 7.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,691 in Edinburgh and $1,238 in Bridgend. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 59% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $105 in Edinburgh vs $86 in Bridgend for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $324 per month, with Bridgend cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Bridgend

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

46,757

💱 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

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Between locations

Edinburgh Bridgend 500 km

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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 Bridgend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,416 in Bridgend, so Bridgend is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Edinburgh, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,238 in Bridgend. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,901 in Edinburgh versus $1,597 in Bridgend. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Edinburgh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Bridgend gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Bridgend gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.