Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Bridgewater

For one person, living is cheaper in Bridgewater: $2,352 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Bridgewater
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Bridgewater Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Bridgewater

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Bridgewater

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,352 in Bridgewater, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Bridgewater $2,352

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,446 in Bridgewater, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Bridgewater $3,446

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,540 in Bridgewater, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Bridgewater $4,540

Edinburgh costs about 11% more than Bridgewater, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Bridgewater sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Bridgewater by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$20.31 £15.24

16.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$86.8 £65.2

24.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.75 £8.07

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.71 £3.54

11.46%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.54 £1.90

-2.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.86 £1.40

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.54 £4.91

21.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.40 £4.80

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.67 £1.25

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.60 £1.20

46.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.19 £1.64

7.76%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.57 £2.68

38.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$9.50 £7.13

-3.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$8.45 £6.34

10.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$14.39 £10.79

9.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.95 £2.21

2.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.53 £1.15

22.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.82 £2.12

21.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.27 £2.46

12.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.61 £1.21

24.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.55 £1.17

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.19 £0.90

10.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.48 £1.11

30.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$23.65 £17.74

-1.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.76 £8.07

4.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.97 £2.23

5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.80 £2.10

16.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.68 £2.76

-14.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$95.4 £71.6

1.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$5.41 £4.06

0.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.10 £1.57

-13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$25.43 £19.08

11.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.00 £1.50

4.00%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$41.0K £30.7K

-5.89%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$44.6K £33.5K

-10.71%

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

$328 £246

$316 £237

3.99%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$19.67 £14.75

-16.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$41.82 £31.37

1.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$46.93 £35.21

-5.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$13.83 £10.37

4.05%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,715 £1,287

3.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$25.3K £19.0K

1.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$87.2 £65.4

-6.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$47.39 £35.56

3.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$86.6 £64.9

25.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$101 £75.6

13.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,220 £915

31.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,021 £766

14.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,115 £1,587

32.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,669 £1,252

29.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,345 £4,010

25.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,301 £2,477

42.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$4,271 £3,204

-16.70%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Bridgewater: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Bridgewater

$1K 43.4% 12.5% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Bridgewater

$377 16% 2.6% $9.9

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Bridgewater

$314 13.4% 12.3% $44

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Bridgewater

$294 12.5% 11.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Bridgewater

$145 6.2% 8.8% $14

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Bridgewater

$126 5.4% 1.6% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Bridgewater

$75 3.2% 1.9% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,220 in Bridgewater. 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 20% higher in Bridgewater, 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 $108 in Edinburgh versus $87.0 in Bridgewater. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $294 – making Bridgewater the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Bridgewater

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

36,666

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Bridgewater 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Bridgewater

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 Bridgewater: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,528 in Bridgewater. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bridgewater, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 2% less in Bridgewater. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,775 per month in Edinburgh and $1,715 in Bridgewater. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bridgewater, where all-in costs run around $2,352, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Bridgewater it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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