Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Burnley

For one person, living is cheaper in Burnley: $2,185 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Burnley
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Burnley Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Burnley

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Burnley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,645 in Edinburgh versus $2,185 in Burnley.

Edinburgh $2,645
Burnley $2,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,021 in Edinburgh versus $3,013 in Burnley.

Edinburgh $4,021
Burnley $3,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,397 in Edinburgh versus $3,841 in Burnley.

Edinburgh $5,397
Burnley $3,841

Living in Edinburgh is roughly 21% more expensive than in Burnley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 94% above, Burnley 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.19

$19.87 £14.84

22.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$78.5 £58.7

34.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.82

$8.17 £6.11

28.15%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.60 £3.43

9.13%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.68 £2.00

-10.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.78 £1.33

23.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$3.97 £2.97

102.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$6.16 £4.60

28.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.68 £1.25

4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.51 £1.13

54.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.56 £1.17

50.64%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$3.49 £2.60

46.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$7.80 £5.83

16.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$7.89 £5.90

17.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$13.24 £9.89

22.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$2.34 £1.75

30.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.35 £1.01

38.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$1.69 £1.26

98.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$2.72 £2.03

37.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.66 £1.24

23.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.62 £1.21

-5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.30 £0.97

2.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.17 £0.88

61.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.83

$19.52 £14.58

22.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.19

$10.77 £8.05

1.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$2.89 £2.16

9.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.10 £2.32

3.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.55 £2.66

-11.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.6

$96.9 £72.4

3.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$3.12 £2.33

74.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$2.08 £1.56

-8.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.29

$17.91 £13.38

59.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.86 £1.39

10.75%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.6K £28.8K

-0.98%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$40.4K £30.2K

-1.60%

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

$329 £246

$246 £183

34.05%

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

$16.81 £12.56

$16.95 £12.66

-0.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.22

$41.44 £30.96

4.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.26

$46.37 £34.64

-9.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.43

$16.37 £12.23

42.52%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.96

$7.67 £5.73

91.26%

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

$1,901 £1,420

$1,875 £1,401

1.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.3K

$22.5K £16.8K

14.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$87.8 £65.6

-6.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.36

$46.71 £34.89

7.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.0

$88.5 £66.1

19.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.1

$86.2 £64.4

33.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$1,225 £915

38.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$1,002 £749

20.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,211

$1,445 £1,080

104.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,632

$1,226 £916

78.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,772

$5,134 £3,836

24.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,372

$3,855 £2,880

17.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,713

$3,132 £2,340

15.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.99

-4.41%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Burnley: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Burnley

$1K 45.9% 16.8% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Burnley

$304 13.9% 21.9% $85

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Burnley

$289 13.2% 20% $72

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Burnley

$265 12.1% 20.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Burnley

$139 6.4% 12.4% $20

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Burnley

$125 5.7% 2.1% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Burnley

$62 2.8% 13.3% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,691 in Edinburgh and $1,225 in Burnley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $105 in Edinburgh vs $79 in Burnley for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $265 per month, with Burnley cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Burnley

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

73,500

💱 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

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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 Burnley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burnley is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $1,225 in Burnley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $2,645 per month in Edinburgh versus $2,185 in Burnley – Burnley is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,185 in Burnley versus $2,645 in Edinburgh, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Burnley but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Burnley the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Burnley gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.