Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Exeter

For one person, living is cheaper in Exeter: $2,571 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Exeter

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,571 in Exeter, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Exeter $2,571

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,846 in Exeter, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Exeter $3,846

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,121 in Exeter, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Exeter $5,121

Edinburgh costs about 3% more than Exeter, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Exeter sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Exeter by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.18

$19.92 £14.88

22.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.6

$97.8 £73.1

7.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.81

$9.57 £7.15

9.40%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.96 £3.70

1.21%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$3.17 £2.36

-23.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$2.51 £1.87

-12.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$7.45 £5.57

7.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$6.16 £4.60

28.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.52 £1.14

15.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.68 £1.25

38.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.78 £1.33

32.02%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$4.30 £3.21

19.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$8.70 £6.50

4.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$8.71 £6.51

6.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$23.73 £17.72

-31.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$3.12 £2.33

-2.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.43 £1.06

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.32 £1.73

44.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$3.19 £2.38

17.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$2.27 £1.70

-9.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.97 £1.47

-22.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.61 £1.20

-17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.95 £1.45

-3.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.82

$23.49 £17.54

1.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.18

$9.54 £7.12

14.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$3.74 £2.79

-15.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$4.42 £3.30

-27.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.92 £2.93

-20.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.5

$112 £83.6

-10.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$5.75 £4.29

-5.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$2.53 £1.89

-24.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.28

$23.92 £17.86

19.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.04 £1.53

0.98%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$38.7K £28.9K

-1.19%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$40.1K £30.0K

-1.08%

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

$329 £246

$469 £350

-29.74%

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

$16.81 £12.55

$15.97 £11.93

5.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.20

$47.00 £35.09

-8.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.24

$39.72 £29.66

5.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.42

$13.18 £9.84

77.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.95

$12.62 £9.42

16.24%

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

$1,901 £1,419

$2,180 £1,628

-12.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.2K

$17.6K £13.2K

46.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$68.0 £50.8

20.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.34

$31.16 £23.26

60.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.9

$105 £78.7

0.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$74.2 £55.4

55.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$1,381 £1,031

22.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$1,050 £784

14.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,209

$2,160 £1,613

37.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,631

$1,946 £1,453

12.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,769

$5,743 £4,288

11.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,370

$4,565 £3,409

-1.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,712

$3,062 £2,286

18.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.11

-6.65%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Exeter

$1K 40.8% 12.9% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Exeter

$532 20.7% 36.6% $142

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Exeter

$320 12.4% 11.3% $41

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Exeter

$334 13% 0.3% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Exeter

$125 4.9% 21% $33

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Exeter

$146 5.7% 14.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Exeter

$65 2.5% 8.7% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,381 in Exeter. 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 19% higher in Edinburgh. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $98 in Exeter. Groceries tell a different story – $333 in Edinburgh vs $334 in Exeter – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Exeter

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

130,800

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Exeter 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Exeter

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 Exeter: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $3,857 in Exeter. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Exeter, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,381 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,571 in Exeter. That makes Exeter about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,901 per month in Edinburgh and $2,180 in Exeter. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,571 in Exeter, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Edinburgh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,571 in Exeter to $2,645 in Edinburgh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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