Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Chatham

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,601 a month against $2,947 in Chatham, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chatham outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Chatham
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Chatham Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Chatham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Chatham

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,947 in Chatham, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Chatham $2,947

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,017 in Chatham, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Chatham $4,017

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,088 in Chatham, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Chatham $5,088

Edinburgh is about 12% cheaper than Chatham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Chatham sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Chatham by 118%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$13.40 £10.05

76.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$94.9 £71.2

14.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$9.85 £7.39

8.73%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$3.75 £2.82

40.00%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.95 £2.21

-15.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.68 £1.26

29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.38 £4.78

24.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.83 £5.12

17.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.90 £1.43

-11.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$2.10 £1.57

11.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.10 £1.58

12.38%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$4.09 £3.07

21.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$10.74 £8.06

-14.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$9.29 £6.97

0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$15.54 £11.66

1.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.10 £2.33

-2.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.92 £1.44

-2.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.71 £2.03

26.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.82 £1.37

-14.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.15 £0.86

14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.71 £1.28

12.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$21.64 £16.24

7.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.94 £8.21

2.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.06 £2.29

1.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.37 £1.78

37.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$4.04 £3.03

-22.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$114 £85.6

-14.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$5.10 £3.83

6.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.58 £1.94

-29.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$20.18 £15.14

40.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.09 £1.56

-0.48%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.9K £29.2K

-0.88%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$37.1K £27.8K

7.49%

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

$328 £246

$287 £215

14.34%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$16.80 £12.61

-1.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$26.54 £19.91

59.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$114 £85.8

-61.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

$9.37 £7.03

146.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$17.40 £13.05

-17.30%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$2,080 £1,561

-14.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$30.4K £22.8K

-15.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$91.6 £68.7

-11.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$45.69 £34.28

7.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$105 £78.4

3.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$91.5 £68.6

25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$2,050 £1,538

-21.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,601 £1,201

-27.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,430 £1,823

15.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$2,090 £1,568

3.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$7,877 £5,909

-14.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$7,449 £5,588

-36.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$2,972 £2,230

19.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.12

-6.84%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chatham: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Chatham

$1.6K 54.3% 37.1% $433

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Chatham

$330 11.2% 14.6% $57

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Chatham

$246 8.3% 31.5% $113

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Chatham

$323 11% 2.7% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Chatham

$150 5.1% 5.6% $8.9

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Chatham

$148 5% 19.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Chatham

$149 5.1% 104% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $2,050 in Chatham. 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 Edinburgh, 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 $95.0 in Chatham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $323 – making Chatham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Chatham

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

76,792

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Chatham 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Chatham

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 Chatham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chatham costs about 13% more than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $4,421 in Chatham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,601 in Edinburgh and $2,947 in Chatham. That's a gap of about 13%.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Edinburgh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,601 in Edinburgh and $2,947 in Chatham. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Edinburgh costs $2,601 versus $2,947 in Chatham. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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