Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Derry

For one person, living is cheaper in Derry: $1,739 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Derry
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Derry Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Derry

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,739

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Derry

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $1,739 in Derry, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Derry $1,739

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,610 in Derry, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Derry $2,610

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,481 in Derry, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Derry $3,481

Edinburgh costs about 50% more than Derry, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Derry sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Derry by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$18.59 £13.95

27.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$72.3 £54.2

50.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.86 £8.14

-1.38%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.01 £3.01

30.92%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.24 £1.68

10.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.63 £1.22

33.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.42 £4.07

46.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.04 £4.53

32.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.61 £1.21

4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.33 £1.00

76.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.08 £1.56

13.46%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.30 £2.48

50.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$7.45 £5.59

23.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$8.99 £6.74

3.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$16.91 £12.68

-6.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.62 £1.97

14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.28 £0.96

46.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.77 £2.08

23.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.30 £2.48

11.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.34 £1.01

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.36 £1.02

13.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$0.95 £0.71

38.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.56 £1.17

23.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$21.54 £16.16

7.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.59 £7.94

5.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.56 £1.92

21.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.40 £2.55

-3.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.71 £2.78

-15.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$97.9 £73.4

-0.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$5.36 £4.02

1.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$1.19 £0.89

52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$34.47 £25.86

-17.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.88 £1.41

10.64%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.1K £28.6K

1.12%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$41.1K £30.8K

-2.98%

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

$328 £246

$131 £98.6

149.65%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$15.79 £11.85

4.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$42.21 £31.67

0.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$35.29 £26.47

25.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

$13.36 £10.02

72.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$10.59 £7.95

35.88%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$925 £694

91.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$22.3K £16.7K

14.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$94.7 £71.1

-14.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$40.13 £30.11

22.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$105 £78.8

3.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$62.4 £46.83

83.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$844 £633

89.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$662 £497

76.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$1,303 £978

115.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$993 £745

117.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$4,591 £3,444

46.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,837 £2,879

22.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.79

-0.42%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Derry: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Derry

$662 38.1% 43.3% $506

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Derry

$189 10.9% 51% $198

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Derry

$284 16.3% 20.8% $75

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Derry

$287 16.5% 13.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Derry

$136 7.8% 14.4% $23

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Derry

$124 7.1% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Derry

$56 3.3% 22.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $844 in Derry. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh versus $72.0 in Derry. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $287 – making Derry the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Derry

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

85,016

💱 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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Between locations

Edinburgh Derry 280 km

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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 Derry: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,601 in Edinburgh, $1,739 in Derry – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $2,609 in Derry. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,775 per month in Edinburgh and $925 in Derry. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Edinburgh, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Derry, where all-in costs run around $1,739, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Derry it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Edinburgh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,739 in Derry to $2,601 in Edinburgh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Derry. 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.