Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Falkirk

For one person, living is cheaper in Falkirk: $2,398 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Falkirk
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Falkirk Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

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Falkirk

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,398

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Falkirk

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,398 in Falkirk, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Falkirk $2,398

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,151 in Falkirk, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Falkirk $3,151

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,905 in Falkirk, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Falkirk $3,905

Edinburgh costs about 10% more than Falkirk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and Falkirk sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Falkirk by 76%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.18

$19.78 £14.77

23.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.6

$68.0 £50.7

54.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.81

$9.23 £6.89

13.43%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.83 £3.60

3.93%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.86 £2.13

-15.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$2.28 £1.71

-3.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$6.09 £4.54

32.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$9.76 £7.29

-18.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.56 £1.16

12.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$2.49 £1.86

-6.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.52 £1.13

54.61%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$5.41 £4.04

-5.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$10.56 £7.88

-14.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$8.79 £6.56

5.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$9.68 £7.23

67.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$3.02 £2.26

0.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.69 £0.51

171.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$4.04 £3.02

-17.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$5.01 £3.74

-25.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$2.48 £1.85

-17.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.29 £0.96

18.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.63 £1.22

-18.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$3.30 £2.46

-42.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.82

$20.37 £15.21

17.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.18

$9.92 £7.40

10.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$3.08 £2.30

2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.33 £2.48

-3.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$4.68 £3.50

-33.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.5

$31.22 £23.31

219.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$5.20 £3.88

4.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.29 £0.96

47.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.28

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.20 £1.64

-6.36%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$29.1K £21.7K

31.32%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$36.9K £27.6K

7.51%

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

$329 £246

$375 £280

-12.10%

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

$16.81 £12.55

$16.73 £12.49

0.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.20

$48.89 £36.50

-11.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.24

$74.0 £55.2

-43.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.42

$11.20 £8.36

108.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.95

$21.63 £16.15

-32.18%

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

$1,901 £1,419

$293 £219

548.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$120 £89.2

-31.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.34

$72.7 £54.3

-31.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.9

$108 £80.6

-2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$135 £100

-14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$894 £668

89.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$937 £700

28.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,209

$926 £691

219.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,631

$910 £679

140.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,769

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,370

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,712

$3,998 £2,985

-9.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.73

-16.75%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Falkirk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Falkirk

$937 39.1% 22.2% $268

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Falkirk

$440 18.4% 13.1% $51

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Falkirk

$314 13.1% 12.9% $46

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Falkirk

$331 13.8% 0.4% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Falkirk

$196 8.2% 23.1% $37

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Falkirk

$62 2.6% 51.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Falkirk

$117 4.9% 64.7% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $894 in Falkirk. 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 10% higher in Falkirk, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $68 in Falkirk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $331 – making Falkirk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Falkirk

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

35,590

💱 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 Falkirk 37 km

From you

Edinburgh
Falkirk

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 Falkirk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $3,597 in Falkirk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Falkirk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $894 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,398 in Falkirk. That makes Falkirk about 9% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,901 per month in Edinburgh and $293 in Falkirk. 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 $2,398 in Falkirk, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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