Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Dumfries

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumfries: $1,754 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Dumfries
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Dumfries Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Dumfries

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,754

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Dumfries

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,645 in Edinburgh versus $1,754 in Dumfries.

Edinburgh $2,645
Dumfries $1,754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,021 in Edinburgh versus $2,716 in Dumfries.

Edinburgh $4,021
Dumfries $2,716

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,397 in Edinburgh versus $3,678 in Dumfries.

Edinburgh $5,397
Dumfries $3,678

Living in Edinburgh is roughly 51% more expensive than in Dumfries, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 94% above, Dumfries 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.18

$14.71 £10.99

65.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.6

$79.6 £59.4

32.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.81

$8.15 £6.08

28.47%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.51 £3.37

11.31%

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

$1.33 £0.99

64.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$5.56 £4.15

44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$6.03 £4.50

31.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.51 £1.13

15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.70 £1.27

37.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.77 £2.07

-15.16%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$4.36 £3.25

17.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$7.39 £5.52

22.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$9.26 £6.91

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$15.46 £11.55

4.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$2.45 £1.83

24.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.28 £1.70

-17.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.31 £1.72

45.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$2.86 £2.14

31.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$3.10 £2.31

-33.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$2.09 £1.56

-26.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.71 £1.28

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.94 £1.45

-2.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.82

$24.02 £17.94

-0.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.18

$12.10 £9.04

-9.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$3.34 £2.49

-5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.23 £2.41

-0.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$4.16 £3.10

-24.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.5

$97.6 £72.8

2.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$4.71 £3.52

15.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$0.95 £0.71

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.28

$11.77 £8.79

142.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.85 £1.38

11.35%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$37.7K £28.2K

1.41%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$41.0K £30.6K

-3.02%

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

$329 £246

$238 £178

38.10%

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

$16.81 £12.55

$22.51 £16.81

-25.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.20

$43.02 £32.12

0.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.24

$51.4 £38.36

-18.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.42

$26.75 £19.97

-12.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.95

$13.52 £10.09

8.51%

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

$1,901 £1,419

$1,948 £1,454

-2.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.2K

$22.5K £16.8K

14.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$83.3 £62.2

-1.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.34

$52.3 £39.05

-4.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.9

$121 £90.3

-12.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$89.6 £66.9

28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$631 £471

167.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$525 £392

129.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,209

$1,017 £759

190.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,631

$944 £705

131.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,769

$4,954 £3,699

28.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,370

$3,808 £2,844

18.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,712

$3,436 £2,566

5.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.41

-11.83%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dumfries: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Dumfries

$525 29.9% 56.4% $680

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Dumfries

$304 17.3% 21.9% $85

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Dumfries

$251 14.3% 30.3% $109

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Dumfries

$316 18% 5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Dumfries

$156 8.9% 2% $3.1

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Dumfries

$124 7.1% 2.9% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Dumfries

$78 4.5% 10.2% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,691 in Edinburgh and $631 in Dumfries. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edinburgh pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $105 in Edinburgh vs $80 in Dumfries for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $316 per month, with Dumfries cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Dumfries

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

39,080

💱 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

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Edinburgh Dumfries 100 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 Dumfries: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dumfries is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Edinburgh, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $631 in Dumfries. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Edinburgh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,645 per month in Edinburgh versus $1,754 in Dumfries – Dumfries is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,754 in Dumfries versus $2,645 in Edinburgh, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dumfries but tight or insufficient in Edinburgh. The gap between the two cities makes Dumfries the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Dumfries wins on affordability, Edinburgh on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.