Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Crawley

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $2,891 in Crawley, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Crawley, United Kingdom
Edinburgh
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,645
/mo nomad
Crawley
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,891
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Crawley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,645 in Edinburgh versus $2,891 in Crawley.

  • Edinburgh $2,645
  • Crawley $2,891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,021 in Edinburgh versus $4,276 in Crawley.

  • Edinburgh $4,021
  • Crawley $4,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,397 in Edinburgh versus $5,662 in Crawley.

  • Edinburgh $5,397
  • Crawley $5,662

Living in Edinburgh costs roughly 8% less than in Crawley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 94% above, Crawley 112% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Edinburgh
Crawley
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.35 £18.18
$26.93 £20.10
-9.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$105 £78.6
$88.5 £66.1
19.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 £7.81
$10.45 £7.80
0.19%
Cappuccino
$5.02 £3.75
$4.89 £3.65
2.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 £1.80
$2.87 £2.15
-16.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 £1.64
$1.99 £1.48
10.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.04 £6.00
$6.14 £4.59
30.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.91 £5.91
$6.08 £4.54
30.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Edinburgh
Crawley
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 £1.31
$1.48 £1.11
18.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 £1.74
$1.40 £1.05
66.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 £1.75
$2.71 £2.03
-13.28%
Eggs
$5.13 £3.83
$4.04 £3.02
26.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.05 £6.76
$11.19 £8.36
-19.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.26 £6.92
$8.52 £6.36
8.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.17 £12.08
$13.29 £9.93
21.67%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 £2.28
$2.96 £2.21
3.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 £1.40
$1.52 £1.13
23.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.35 £2.50
$3.00 £2.24
11.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.75 £2.80
$2.10 £1.57
78.57%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 £1.53
$1.56 £1.17
31.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.53 £1.14
$1.35 £1.01
13.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 £1.00
$1.31 £0.98
1.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 £1.41
$1.51 £1.13
25.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.87 £17.82
$23.77 £17.75
0.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.96 £8.18
$13.46 £10.05
-18.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.16 £2.36
$2.23 £1.67
41.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 £2.40
$2.72 £2.03
18.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Edinburgh
Crawley
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.13 £2.34
$3.95 £2.95
-20.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$99.8 £74.5
$151 £113
-33.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 £4.07
$6.52 £4.87
-16.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.90 £1.42
$4.63 £3.45
-58.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.50 £21.28
$13.57 £10.13
110.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.06 £1.54
$1.88 £1.40
9.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.5K
$38.2K £28.5K
0.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.7K £29.7K
$40.1K £30.0K
-1.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edinburgh
Crawley
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$329 £246
$306 £229
7.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.81 £12.55
$20.81 £15.54
-19.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.13 £32.20
$47.59 £35.53
-9.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Edinburgh
Crawley
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.84 £31.24
$58.7 £43.80
-28.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.33 £17.42
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.67 £10.95
$13.47 £10.06
8.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Edinburgh
Crawley
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,901 £1,419
$1,859 £1,388
2.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K £19.2K
$8,006 £5,978
221.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Edinburgh
Crawley
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.2 £61.4
$76.2 £56.9
7.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.0 £37.34
$53.9 £40.26
-7.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 £78.9
$115 £86.0
-8.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 £86.0
$133 £99.2
-13.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Edinburgh
Crawley
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,691 £1,263
$1,708 £1,276
-1.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,205 £900
$1,403 £1,048
-14.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,959 £2,209
$2,762 £2,062
7.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,184 £1,631
$2,449 £1,829
-10.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,388 £4,769
$6,421 £4,794
-0.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,514 £3,370
$5,949 £4,442
-24.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Edinburgh
Crawley
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,632 £2,712
$3,220 £2,404
12.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.77
5.06
-5.73%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Crawley: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Edinburgh
$1.2K
Crawley
$1.4K 16.5% $198
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edinburgh
$389
Crawley
$375 3.7% $14
Eating Out
Edinburgh
$361
Crawley
$368 1.9% $6.9
Groceries & Markets
Edinburgh
$333
Crawley
$293 12.1% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Edinburgh
$159
Crawley
$170 7.1% $11
Getting Around
Edinburgh
$127
Crawley
$196 54.2% $69
Sport & Entertainment
Edinburgh
$71
Crawley
$86 20.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,691 in Edinburgh and $1,708 in Crawley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $105 in Edinburgh vs $88 in Crawley for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $293 per month, with Crawley cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Edinburgh
🇬🇧 Crawley
🕒 Local time
15:58 3:58 PM
15:58 3:58 PM
Same time as Edinburgh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
488,050
112,448
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Edinburgh Crawley 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Edinburgh
  • Crawley

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 Crawley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Edinburgh or Crawley?
Edinburgh wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Crawley. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Edinburgh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Edinburgh or in Crawley?
Average pay runs 13% higher in Edinburgh, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Edinburgh compared to Crawley?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,708 in Crawley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Edinburgh and in Crawley?
Dining out is cheaper in Crawley – a meal for two runs $88 versus $105 in Edinburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Edinburgh compared to Crawley?
All in, you’ll spend $2,645 per month in Edinburgh versus $2,891 in Crawley – Edinburgh is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Edinburgh or in Crawley?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Edinburgh is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Edinburgh or Crawley?
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.
How safe is Edinburgh compared to Crawley?
Safety-wise, Edinburgh and Crawley are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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