Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Croydon

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $2,932 in Croydon, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Croydon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Croydon
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Croydon Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Croydon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Croydon

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,932 in Croydon, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Croydon $2,932

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,998 in Croydon, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Croydon $3,998

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,065 in Croydon, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Croydon $5,065

Edinburgh is about 10% cheaper than Croydon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and Croydon sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Croydon by 115%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.15

$20.18 £15.04

20.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.5

$72.2 £53.8

45.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.80

$9.65 £7.20

8.50%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.74

$5.10 £3.80

-1.57%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.73 £2.04

-11.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.47 £1.10

48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £5.99

$6.08 £4.53

32.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.90

$6.14 £4.57

28.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.60 £1.19

9.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.41 £1.05

65.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.69 £2.01

-12.64%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.82

$3.98 £2.97

28.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.75

$10.46 £7.80

-13.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.91

$8.15 £6.08

13.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.06

$13.41 £10.00

20.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.27

$2.38 £1.77

28.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.25 £0.93

49.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$3.05 £2.27

9.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$2.10 £1.57

78.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$3.12 £2.33

-34.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.84 £1.37

-16.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £0.99

$1.48 £1.11

-10.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.50 £1.12

26.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.80

$23.45 £17.48

1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.17

$13.27 £9.90

-17.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.35

$2.35 £1.75

34.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$2.75 £2.05

17.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$2.30 £1.72

36.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.4

$134 £99.7

-25.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$6.59 £4.91

-17.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.25

$54.0 £40.24

-47.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.01 £1.50

2.49%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$39.0K £29.0K

-1.84%

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

$39.7K £29.6K

$41.4K £30.9K

-4.09%

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

$329 £245

$316 £236

4.20%

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

$16.81 £12.53

$29.89 £22.29

-43.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.15

$39.53 £29.47

9.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.19

$36.99 £27.58

13.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.39

$20.15 £15.02

15.78%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.93

$12.03 £8.97

21.95%

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

$1,901 £1,417

$1,692 £1,262

12.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.2K

$23.7K £17.7K

8.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.3

$65.9 £49.09

24.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.28

$48.74 £36.34

2.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.8

$93.9 £70.0

12.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$150 £112

-23.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,261

$2,014 £1,501

-16.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £898

$1,572 £1,172

-23.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,206

$2,814 £2,098

5.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,629

$2,186 £1,630

-0.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,762

$8,032 £5,988

-20.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,365

$5,784 £4,313

-21.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,708

$4,462 £3,327

-18.61%

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 Croydon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Croydon

$1.6K 53.6% 30.4% $367

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Croydon

$385 13.1% 1% $3.8

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Croydon

$311 10.6% 13.8% $50

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Croydon

$292 10% 12.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Croydon

$161 5.5% 1.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Croydon

$150 * 5.1% 17.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Croydon

$61 2.1% 14.2% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $2,014 in Croydon. 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 23% higher in Croydon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $72 in Croydon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $292 – making Croydon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Croydon

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

173,314

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Croydon 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Croydon

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 Croydon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Croydon is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $4,398 in Croydon. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,691 there versus $2,014 in Croydon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,932 in Croydon. That makes Edinburgh about 10% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 25% 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 $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,932 in Croydon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Edinburgh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,645 in Edinburgh to $2,932 in Croydon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Edinburgh. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Croydon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.