Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Darlington

For one person, living is cheaper in Darlington: $1,658 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Darlington
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Darlington Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Darlington

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Darlington

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Edinburgh vs $1,658 in Darlington, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,617
Darlington $1,658

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,593 in Darlington, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,956
Darlington $2,593

A family of three spends $5,295 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,528 in Darlington, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,295
Darlington $3,528

Edinburgh costs about 58% more than Darlington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Darlington sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Darlington by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$14.37 £10.78

64.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$58.6 £43.94

77.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$9.42 £7.07

11.25%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$3.56 £2.67

42.70%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$2.36 £1.77

5.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$2.01 £1.51

6.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$4.63 £3.48

74.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$4.11 £3.08

97.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.28 £0.96

31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.36 £1.02

68.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$2.27 £1.70

-0.88%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$3.55 £2.67

42.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$7.64 £5.73

18.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$6.98 £5.24

35.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$9.18 £6.89

75.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.26 £2.45

-6.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.23 £0.92

56.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.48 £2.61

-3.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$3.82 £2.87

-3.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.67 £1.26

23.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.78 £1.34

-13.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.19 £0.90

5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.08 £0.81

79.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$21.62 £16.22

9.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$8.98 £6.74

23.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.01 £1.51

60.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.01 £2.26

5.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.58 £1.94

24.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

$84.1 £63.1

14.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$4.07 £3.05

27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

$15.87 £11.91

80.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.92 £1.44

11.46%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$19.5K £14.7K

97.73%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$30.7K £23.0K

34.08%

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

$330 £248

$266 £199

24.28%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$15.36 £11.52

6.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$44.69 £33.53

-5.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$40.21 £30.17

9.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

$6.78 £5.09

239.82%

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$6.67 £5.01

114.39%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$815 £611

115.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$65.5 £49.17

22.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$56.5 £42.40

-12.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$114 £85.6

-7.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$114 £85.4

0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$658 £493

145.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$536 £402

121.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$1,447 £1,085

89.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$1,176 £882

79.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

$2,375 £1,782

179.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

$2,697 £2,024

30.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.61

-14.97%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Darlington: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

Darlington

$536 32.3% 54.7% $649

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

Darlington

$326 19.6% 16.2% $63

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

Darlington

$235 14.2% 34.1% $122

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

Darlington

$252 15.2% 24.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

Darlington

$158 9.5% 0% $0

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

Darlington

$99 * 5.9% 20.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Darlington

$54 3.2% 26.4% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Edinburgh versus $658 in Darlington. 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 31% higher in Edinburgh, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Edinburgh versus $59.0 in Darlington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $252 – making Darlington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Darlington

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

92,363

💱 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

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Edinburgh Darlington 190 km

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Edinburgh
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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 Darlington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,925 per month in Edinburgh and $2,487 in Darlington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 15% less in Darlington. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,759 per month in Edinburgh and $815 in Darlington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Darlington, where all-in costs run around $1,658, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Darlington it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Darlington – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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