Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Brighton Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Brighton

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,772 in Edinburgh versus $2,983 in Brighton.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,140 in Edinburgh versus $4,308 in Brighton.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,508 in Edinburgh versus $5,633 in Brighton.

Living in Edinburgh costs roughly 7% less than in Brighton, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 107% above, Brighton 123% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 £14.99

$20.25 £15.06

-0.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £74.9

$93.8 £69.8

7.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 £7.44

$9.53 £7.09

4.93%

Cappuccino

$5.41 £4.03

$4.57 £3.40

18.38%

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

$2.51 £1.87

$2.12 £1.58

18.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.63 £1.21

24.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.52 £5.59

$8.34 £6.20

-9.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 £5.07

$6.95 £5.17

-2.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.79 £1.33

-6.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.30

$2.15 £1.60

-19.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 £1.54

$2.04 £1.52

1.96%

Eggs

$4.25 £3.16

$5.00 £3.72

-15.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 £9.03

$12.10 £9.00

0.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.48 £7.79

$8.87 £6.60

18.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 £13.93

$18.05 £13.43

3.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 £2.32

$3.23 £2.40

-3.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.15

$2.01 £1.50

-22.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 £3.07

$3.19 £2.37

29.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 £3.42

$3.38 £2.51

36.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.36

$2.26 £1.68

-19.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.03 £1.51

-29.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.18 £0.88

3.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.50 £1.11

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.18 £15.01

$20.95 £15.58

-3.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 £8.32

$11.26 £8.38

-0.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.86

$2.68 £2.00

-6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 £2.44

$2.66 £1.98

23.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 £2.01

$3.30 £2.46

-18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.4 £66.5

$130 £96.5

-31.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 £3.95

$4.62 £3.44

14.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.01 £2.24

$2.15 £1.60

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.48 £31.60

$39.99 £29.75

6.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$2.00 £1.49

-3.00%

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

$38.8K £28.9K

$38.1K £28.4K

1.75%

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

$39.9K £29.7K

$41.2K £30.6K

-3.11%

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

$381 £283

$286 £213

32.95%

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

$17.69 £13.16

$18.84 £14.01

-6.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.83 £32.60

$40.37 £30.02

8.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 £39.87

$53.2 £39.60

0.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.17 £17.98

$18.70 £13.91

29.25%

Cinema Ticket

$15.01 £11.17

$17.38 £12.93

-13.64%

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

$1,937 £1,441

$1,776 £1,321

9.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K £17.7K

$19.3K £14.4K

23.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.8

$91.9 £68.3

29.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 £40.59

$42.18 £31.38

29.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 £87.4

$109 £80.9

8.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 £91.2

$78.9 £58.7

55.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 £1,202

$1,818 £1,352

-11.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 £917

$1,586 £1,179

-22.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 £2,304

$3,287 £2,445

-5.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,186 £1,626

$2,614 £1,944

-16.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,544 £4,867

$8,564 £6,370

-23.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,733 £3,520

$6,300 £4,686

-24.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,601 £2,678

$3,446 £2,563

4.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

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

Last update for Edinburgh: July 13, 2026

Last update for Brighton: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,616 in Edinburgh and $1,818 in Brighton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $101 in Edinburgh vs $94.0 in Brighton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $335 per month, with Brighton cheaper across the board.

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 Brighton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edinburgh and Brighton differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,772 vs $2,983 including rent). Edinburgh is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% 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: $1,616 in Edinburgh versus $1,818 in Brighton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,937 in Edinburgh versus $1,776 in Brighton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Brighton pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Edinburgh is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Brighton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Edinburgh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Brighton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.