Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Caernarfon

For one person, living is cheaper in Caernarfon: $1,221 a month against $2,724 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Caernarfon
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Caernarfon Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,724

/mo nomad

Caernarfon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Caernarfon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,724 in Edinburgh versus $1,221 in Caernarfon.

Edinburgh $2,724
Caernarfon $1,221

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,109 in Edinburgh versus $2,743 in Caernarfon.

Edinburgh $4,109
Caernarfon $2,743

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,494 in Edinburgh versus $4,264 in Caernarfon.

Edinburgh $5,494
Caernarfon $4,264

Living in Edinburgh is roughly 123% more expensive than in Caernarfon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Edinburgh is 101% above, Caernarfon is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.24 £17.99

$13.27 £9.85

82.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £80.3

$94.7 £70.2

14.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.92

$9.48 £7.03

12.55%

Cappuccino

$5.10 £3.78

$4.05 £3.00

25.93%

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

$2.48 £1.84

$2.70 £2.00

-8.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.66

$1.91 £1.42

17.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.80

$4.97 £3.69

57.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 £6.04

$3.93 £2.91

107.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.94 £1.44

-10.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 £1.72

$1.71 £1.27

35.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.74

$2.19 £1.62

6.85%

Eggs

$4.90 £3.64

$2.44 £1.81

100.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £6.95

$9.23 £6.84

1.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 £7.14

$7.30 £5.41

31.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 £11.73

$15.52 £11.51

1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.29

$2.57 £1.91

20.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.38 £1.02

38.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 £2.43

$1.35 £1.00

142.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.65

$1.35 £1.01

164.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.72 £1.28

15.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.16

$1.79 £1.33

-12.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.96

$1.38 £1.03

-6.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.59 £1.18

21.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 £17.92

$21.99 £16.31

9.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.03

$9.57 £7.10

13.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.36

$3.95 £2.93

-19.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.43

$3.69 £2.74

-11.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 £2.44

$5.51 £4.09

-40.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £74.7

$69.2 £51.3

45.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.93

$5.12 £3.80

3.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.80

$2.48 £1.84

-2.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.91 £34.80

$24.65 £18.29

90.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.95 £1.45

13.33%

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

$38.5K £28.6K

$39.1K £29.0K

-1.50%

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

$40.5K £30.0K

$41.3K £30.6K

-1.98%

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

$335 £248

$321 £238

4.37%

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

$16.31 £12.10

$21.12 £15.67

-22.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.88 £30.33

$40.24 £29.86

1.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 £31.50

$30.57 £22.68

38.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.02 £17.82

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 £11.14

$16.01 £11.88

-6.18%

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

$1,869 £1,387

$1,640 £1,216

14.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K £19.3K

$25.7K £19.1K

1.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 £62.2

$108 £80.4

-22.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.78 £35.45

$50.1 £37.13

-4.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.3

$106 £78.9

1.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.4

$79.8 £59.2

49.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 £1,241

$676 £502

147.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 £944

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 £2,235

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 £1,667

$1,594 £1,183

40.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,479 £4,807

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,429 £3,286

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,796 £2,817

$3,603 £2,673

5.36%

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 31, 2026

Last update for Caernarfon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.3K 46.7%

Caernarfon

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$392 14.4%

Caernarfon

$382 31.3% 2.5% $9.9

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.3%

Caernarfon

$234 19.2% 35.1% $127

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.2%

Caernarfon

$279 22.8% 16.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$162 5.9%

Caernarfon

$155 12.7% 4% $6.5

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$131 4.8%

Caernarfon

$109 8.9% 17.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$72 2.7%

Caernarfon

$63 5.1% 13.7% $9.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in Edinburgh and $676 in Caernarfon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 5% 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: $108 in Edinburgh vs $95 in Caernarfon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $279 per month, with Caernarfon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Caernarfon

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

9,500

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Edinburgh Caernarfon 320 km

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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 Caernarfon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caernarfon is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $1,673 in Edinburgh versus $676 in Caernarfon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Caernarfon – a meal for two runs $95 versus $108 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,724 per month in Edinburgh versus $1,221 in Caernarfon – Caernarfon is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,221 in Caernarfon versus $2,724 in Edinburgh, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Caernarfon but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Caernarfon 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 Caernarfon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.