Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Dover

For one person, living is cheaper in Dover: $2,173 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Dover
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Dover Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Dover

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,173

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Dover

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,173 in Dover, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,617
Dover $2,173

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,145 in Dover, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,956
Dover $3,145

A family of three spends $5,295 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,116 in Dover, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,295
Dover $4,116

Edinburgh costs about 20% more than Dover, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edinburgh and Dover sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Dover by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$21.09 £15.82

12.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$66.2 £49.69

57.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$10.72 £8.05

-2.24%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$4.44 £3.33

14.41%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$2.39 £1.79

4.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.39 £1.05

54.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$3.98 £2.99

102.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$3.97 £2.98

104.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.39 £1.04

20.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.02 £0.77

124.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$1.61 £1.21

39.75%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$3.02 £2.27

67.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$9.42 £7.06

-3.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$7.57 £5.68

25.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$14.33 £10.75

12.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.17 £2.38

-3.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.45 £1.09

33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.81 £2.11

19.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$3.30 £2.48

11.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.65 £1.24

25.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.48 £1.11

4.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.29 £0.97

-3.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$0.82 £0.62

136.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$23.07 £17.31

2.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$11.02 £8.27

1.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.78 £2.08

15.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.66 £2.75

-12.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.92 £2.94

-18.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

$106 £79.8

-9.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$5.10 £3.82

1.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.34 £1.01

38.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

$21.55 £16.17

33.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.04 £1.53

4.90%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$38.2K £28.6K

1.23%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$39.8K £29.8K

3.48%

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

$330 £248

$247 £185

33.72%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$21.62 £16.22

-24.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$39.57 £29.68

6.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$46.88 £35.17

-5.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

$26.33 £19.76

-12.50%

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$12.32 £9.24

16.07%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$1,056 £792

66.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$19.5K £14.6K

29.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$70.1 £52.6

14.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$31.70 £23.78

55.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$78.6 £58.9

34.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$50.0 £37.52

129.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$1,110 £833

45.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$989 £742

19.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$1,770 £1,328

54.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$1,548 £1,161

36.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

$5,245 £3,935

26.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

$3,301 £2,477

39.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

$2,873 £2,156

22.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.91

-2.85%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dover: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

Dover

$989 45.5% 16.5% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

Dover

$308 14.2% 20.7% $81

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

Dover

$297 13.7% 16.7% $59

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

Dover

$270 12.4% 18.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

Dover

$104 4.8% 34.2% $54

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

Dover

$134 6.2% 8% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Dover

$72 3.3% 1.7% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Edinburgh versus $1,110 in Dover. 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 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 $66.0 in Dover. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $270 – making Dover the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Dover

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

34,087

💱 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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Between locations

Edinburgh Dover 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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 Dover: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,925 per month in Edinburgh and $3,260 in Dover. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,759 per month in Edinburgh and $1,056 in Dover. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Dover, where all-in costs run around $2,173, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Dover it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dover – 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 Dover. 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.