Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Derby

For one person, living is cheaper in Derby: $2,255 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Edinburgh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Derby
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Derby Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Derby

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Derby

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,255 in Derby, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Derby $2,255

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,377 in Derby, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Derby $3,377

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,499 in Derby, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Derby $4,499

Edinburgh costs about 17% more than Derby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Edinburgh and Derby sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Derby by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.15

$26.57 £19.81

-8.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.5

$95.0 £70.8

10.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.80

$10.72 £7.99

-2.33%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.74

$4.97 £3.70

1.01%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.52 £1.88

-4.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.96 £1.46

11.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £5.99

$6.82 £5.08

17.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.90

$7.10 £5.30

11.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.57 £1.17

11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.43 £1.07

62.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.34 £1.75

0.43%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.82

$3.96 £2.95

29.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.75

$8.42 £6.28

7.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.91

$8.58 £6.40

7.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.06

$23.38 £17.43

-30.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.27

$5.42 £4.04

-43.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.80 £2.09

-33.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.96 £2.20

13.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$3.74 £2.79

0.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.55 £1.15

32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.54 £1.15

-0.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £0.99

$1.05 £0.78

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.37 £1.02

37.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.80

$23.73 £17.70

0.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.17

$10.62 £7.92

3.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.35

$3.28 £2.45

-3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.61 £2.69

-10.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$4.01 £2.99

-21.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.4

$115 £86.0

-13.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$4.34 £3.24

25.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.62 £1.20

17.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.25

$31.95 £23.82

-10.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.98 £1.47

4.04%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

-0.03%

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

$39.7K £29.6K

$39.9K £29.7K

-0.39%

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

$329 £245

$366 £273

-9.98%

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

$16.81 £12.53

$19.97 £14.89

-15.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.15

$39.71 £29.61

8.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.19

$36.95 £27.55

13.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.39

$25.60 £19.09

-8.87%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.93

$15.22 £11.35

-3.61%

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

$1,901 £1,417

$1,912 £1,426

-0.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.2K

$20.3K £15.1K

26.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.3

$114 £85.3

-28.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.28

$58.0 £43.22

-13.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.8

$87.2 £65.0

21.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$98.1 £73.1

17.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,261

$947 £706

78.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £898

$746 £556

61.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,206

$1,532 £1,142

93.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,629

$1,206 £899

81.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,762

$4,201 £3,132

52.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,365

$3,055 £2,278

47.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,708

$3,541 £2,640

2.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.88

-2.25%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Derby: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Derby

$746 33.1% 38.1% $459

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Derby

$425 18.9% 9.3% $36

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Derby

$371 16.4% 2.7% $9.7

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Derby

$341 15.1% 2.5% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Derby

$161 7.1% 1.3% $2

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Derby

$144 6.4% 12.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Derby

$67 3% 5.3% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $947 in Derby. 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 3% 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 $105 in Edinburgh versus $95 in Derby. Groceries tell a different story – $333 in Edinburgh vs $341 in Derby – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Derby

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

233,700

💱 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

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Between locations

Edinburgh Derby 350 km

From you

Edinburgh
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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 Derby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edinburgh costs about 17% more than Derby, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $3,383 in Derby. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Derby, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $947 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,255 in Derby. That makes Derby about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,901 per month in Edinburgh and $1,912 in Derby. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,255 in Derby. 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 $2,255 in Derby to $2,645 in Edinburgh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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