Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Ely, Cambridgeshire

For one person, living is cheaper in Ely, Cambridgeshire: $2,360 a month against $2,724 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Ely, Cambridgeshire
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Ely, Cambridgeshire Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,724

/mo nomad

Ely, Cambridgeshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,360

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Ely, Cambridgeshire

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

A single person spends $2,724 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,360 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,724
Ely, Cambridgeshire $2,360

A couple spends around $4,109 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,574 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,109
Ely, Cambridgeshire $3,574

A family of three spends $5,494 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,789 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,494
Ely, Cambridgeshire $4,789

Edinburgh costs about 15% more than Ely, Cambridgeshire, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and Ely, Cambridgeshire sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 101%, Ely, Cambridgeshire by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.24 £18.10

$23.91 £17.85

1.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £80.8

$95.0 £70.9

13.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.97

$13.26 £9.90

-19.53%

Cappuccino

$5.10 £3.80

$5.34 £3.98

-4.49%

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

$2.48 £1.85

$2.40 £1.79

3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.67

$1.69 £1.26

32.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.84

$5.25 £3.92

48.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 £6.07

$3.38 £2.53

140.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.20 £0.90

45.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 £1.74

$1.60 £1.19

45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.75

$2.74 £2.05

-14.60%

Eggs

$4.90 £3.66

$3.51 £2.62

39.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £6.99

$10.78 £8.05

-13.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 £7.18

$11.58 £8.65

-16.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 £11.81

$17.28 £12.90

-8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.31

$4.03 £3.01

-23.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.43

$1.37 £1.02

39.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 £2.44

$2.65 £1.98

23.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.67

$4.49 £3.35

-20.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.66 £1.24

19.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.58 £1.18

-0.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.96

$1.16 £0.87

11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.50 £1.12

28.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 £18.03

$21.53 £16.08

12.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.08

$10.70 £7.99

1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.37

$2.13 £1.59

49.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.44

$2.82 £2.11

15.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 £2.45

$5.83 £4.35

-43.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £75.2

$57.7 £43.07

74.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.95

$4.46 £3.33

18.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.81

$2.29 £1.71

6.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.91 £35.02

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.65

$2.16 £1.61

2.31%

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

$38.5K £28.8K

$40.7K £30.4K

-5.30%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$41.2K £30.8K

-1.74%

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

$335 £250

$284 £212

18.09%

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

$16.31 £12.17

$16.89 £12.61

-3.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.88 £30.52

$33.61 £25.09

21.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 £31.69

$44.40 £33.15

-4.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.02 £17.93

$15.96 £11.92

50.50%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 £11.21

$15.90 £11.87

-5.53%

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

$1,869 £1,395

$1,747 £1,304

6.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K £19.4K

$14.8K £11.0K

76.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 £62.6

$97.0 £72.4

-13.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.78 £35.67

$56.1 £41.84

-14.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.8

$125 £93.0

-13.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.9

$103 £77.1

15.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 £1,249

$1,155 £862

44.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 £950

$1,012 £755

25.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 £2,248

$1,895 £1,414

58.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 £1,677

$1,749 £1,306

28.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,479 £4,837

$5,812 £4,339

11.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,429 £3,306

$5,135 £3,833

-13.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,796 £2,834

$3,333 £2,488

13.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.62

3.25%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ely, Cambridgeshire: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.3K 46.7%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$1K 42.9% 20.5% $261

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$392 14.4%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$334 14.2% 14.8% $58

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.3%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$345 14.6% 4.7% $17

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.2%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$325 13.8% 2.3% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$162 5.9%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$171 7.3% 6.1% $9.8

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$131 4.8%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$97 4.1% 26.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$72 2.7%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$76 3.2% 5.1% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,673 in Edinburgh versus $1,155 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. 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 14% 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 $108 in Edinburgh versus $95 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $325 – making Ely, Cambridgeshire the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Ely, Cambridgeshire

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

20,574

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Edinburgh Ely, Cambridgeshire 460 km

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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 Ely, Cambridgeshire: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,086 per month in Edinburgh and $3,540 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ely, Cambridgeshire, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,155 there versus $1,673 in Edinburgh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,724 in Edinburgh and $2,360 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. That makes Ely, Cambridgeshire about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,869 per month in Edinburgh and $1,747 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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