Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Carmarthen

For one person, living is cheaper in Carmarthen: $2,382 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Carmarthen
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Carmarthen Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Carmarthen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Carmarthen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,645 in Edinburgh versus $2,382 in Carmarthen.

Edinburgh $2,645
Carmarthen $2,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,021 in Edinburgh versus $3,134 in Carmarthen.

Edinburgh $4,021
Carmarthen $3,134

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,397 in Edinburgh versus $3,886 in Carmarthen.

Edinburgh $5,397
Carmarthen $3,886

Living in Edinburgh is roughly 11% more expensive than in Carmarthen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 94% above, Carmarthen 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.19

$23.98 £17.91

1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$66.6 £49.78

57.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.82

$9.13 £6.82

14.68%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$3.45 £2.58

45.51%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.54 £1.90

-5.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.64 £1.22

33.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$5.46 £4.08

47.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$4.65 £3.47

70.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.56 £1.16

12.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.13 £0.84

106.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.01 £1.50

16.92%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$4.30 £3.22

19.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$8.06 £6.02

12.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$9.51 £7.11

-2.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$13.24 £9.89

22.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$3.10 £2.32

-1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.79 £1.34

4.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.71 £2.03

23.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$4.12 £3.08

-8.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$2.15 £1.61

-4.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.48 £1.11

3.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.21 £0.90

9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$2.00 £1.49

-5.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.83

$23.26 £17.38

2.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.19

$10.49 £7.84

4.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$2.80 £2.10

12.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.65 £2.72

-11.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$4.47 £3.34

-29.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.6

$96.9 £72.4

2.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$3.45 £2.57

57.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.63 £1.21

16.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.29

$26.28 £19.64

8.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.90 £1.42

8.42%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.3K £28.6K

-0.09%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$41.0K £30.6K

-3.12%

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

$329 £246

$322 £240

2.33%

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

$16.81 £12.56

$17.31 £12.93

-2.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.22

$39.42 £29.45

9.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.26

$47.09 £35.18

-11.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.43

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.96

$13.86 £10.35

5.84%

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

$1,901 £1,420

$2,291 £1,711

-17.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.3K

$25.6K £19.1K

0.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$100 £75.0

-18.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.36

$47.79 £35.70

4.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.0

$109 £81.5

-3.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.1

$99.5 £74.3

15.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$1,235 £923

36.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$1,026 £766

17.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,211

$1,248 £933

137.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,632

$1,049 £784

108.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,772

$5,005 £3,739

27.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,372

$3,818 £2,852

18.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,713

$1,958 £1,463

85.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.87

-2.05%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Carmarthen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Carmarthen

$1K 43.1% 14.9% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Carmarthen

$378 15.9% 2.7% $11

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Carmarthen

$314 13.2% 13% $47

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Carmarthen

$302 12.7% 9.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Carmarthen

$160 6.7% 1% $1.6

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Carmarthen

$126 5.3% 0.7% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Carmarthen

$75 3.1% 5.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,691 in Edinburgh and $1,235 in Carmarthen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 86% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $105 in Edinburgh vs $67 in Carmarthen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $302 per month, with Carmarthen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Carmarthen

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

14,185

💱 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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Between locations

Edinburgh Carmarthen 460 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 Carmarthen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carmarthen is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 86% 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 $1,235 in Carmarthen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Edinburgh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Carmarthen – a meal for two runs $67 versus $105 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Carmarthen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.