Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Cheltenham

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheltenham: $2,327 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Cheltenham
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Cheltenham Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Cheltenham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Cheltenham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,617 in Edinburgh versus $2,327 in Cheltenham.

Edinburgh $2,617
Cheltenham $2,327

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,956 in Edinburgh versus $3,528 in Cheltenham.

Edinburgh $3,956
Cheltenham $3,528

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,295 in Edinburgh versus $4,729 in Cheltenham.

Edinburgh $5,295
Cheltenham $4,729

Living in Edinburgh is roughly 12% more expensive than in Cheltenham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 94% above, Cheltenham 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$23.67 £17.75

-0.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$105 £79.1

-1.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$11.03 £8.28

-4.99%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$4.89 £3.67

3.89%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$2.56 £1.92

-2.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.74 £1.31

23.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$7.76 £5.82

3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$6.54 £4.91

24.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.73 £1.30

-2.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.71 £1.29

33.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$1.99 £1.49

13.07%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$4.43 £3.33

14.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$8.19 £6.15

10.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$9.59 £7.19

-1.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$13.09 £9.82

23.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.10 £2.32

-1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.43 £1.07

34.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.93 £1.45

74.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$3.49 £2.62

5.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.52 £1.14

36.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.51 £1.13

1.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.21 £0.91

3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.42 £1.07

36.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$23.12 £17.35

2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$10.63 £7.98

4.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.86 £2.15

12.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$2.93 £2.20

8.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.44 £2.58

-6.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

$92.5 £69.4

4.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$3.53 £2.65

46.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.64 £1.23

13.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

$26.85 £20.14

6.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.87 £1.40

14.44%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$37.1K £27.8K

4.20%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

-0.05%

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

$330 £248

$341 £256

-3.13%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$17.10 £12.83

-4.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$51.0 £38.24

-17.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$44.28 £33.22

-0.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

$39.01 £29.27

-40.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$14.00 £10.50

2.14%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$2,020 £1,516

-12.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$25.2K £18.9K

0.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$98.2 £73.7

-18.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$48.22 £36.18

2.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$106 £79.4

-0.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$96.9 £72.7

18.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$1,161 £871

38.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$929 £697

27.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$2,149 £1,613

27.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$1,617 £1,213

30.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

$5,704 £4,279

16.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

$5,676 £4,258

-18.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

$4,753 £3,566

-25.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.54

-13.90%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cheltenham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

Cheltenham

$929 39.9% 21.6% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

Cheltenham

$409 17.6% 5.2% $20

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

Cheltenham

$350 15.1% 1.8% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

Cheltenham

$292 12.6% 12.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

Cheltenham

$157 6.8% 0.3% $0.4

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

Cheltenham

$118 5.1% 4.9% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Cheltenham

$72 3.1% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,611 in Edinburgh and $1,161 in Cheltenham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $104 in Edinburgh vs $105 in Cheltenham. Groceries flip the comparison at $333 vs $292, with Cheltenham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Cheltenham

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

115,300

💱 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

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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 Cheltenham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheltenham is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Cheltenham. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,611 in Edinburgh versus $1,161 in Cheltenham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cheltenham – a meal for two runs $105 versus $104 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,617 per month in Edinburgh versus $2,327 in Cheltenham – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,327 in Cheltenham versus $2,617 in Edinburgh, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cheltenham but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Cheltenham the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cheltenham is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Edinburgh, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Edinburgh and Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Edinburgh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.