Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Folkestone

For one person, living is cheaper in Folkestone: $1,977 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
Learn more

Edinburgh Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Folkestone
Learn more

Folkestone Living Index

Jump to prices

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Folkestone

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Folkestone

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $1,977 in Folkestone, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Folkestone $1,977

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,052 in Folkestone, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Folkestone $3,052

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,128 in Folkestone, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Folkestone $4,128

Edinburgh costs about 32% more than Folkestone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and Folkestone sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Folkestone by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$17.37 £13.03

36.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$66.7 £50.1

62.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.54 £7.90

1.61%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.74 £3.56

10.76%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.72 £2.04

-8.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.84 £1.38

17.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.75 £5.06

17.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.45 £4.84

24.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.50 £1.13

12.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.33 £1.00

76.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$1.30 £0.98

81.54%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$2.98 £2.23

66.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$9.60 £7.20

-4.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$7.80 £5.85

19.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$14.76 £11.07

6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.25 £2.44

-7.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.45 £1.09

29.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.79 £2.09

22.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.26 £2.44

12.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.59 £1.20

26.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.41 £1.06

9.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.69 £1.27

-21.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.48 £1.11

30.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$23.97 £17.98

-3.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.79 £8.09

3.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.78 £2.09

12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.67 £2.75

-10.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$2.71 £2.03

15.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$32.78 £24.59

195.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$1.32 £0.99

311.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$1.68 £1.26

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$21.69 £16.28

30.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.98 £1.48

5.05%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.4K £28.8K

0.48%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.6K £30.5K

-1.80%

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

$328 £246

$253 £190

29.88%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$24.53 £18.40

-32.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$40.77 £30.58

3.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$73.1 £54.8

-39.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

$9.46 £7.10

143.66%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$21.11 £15.84

-31.83%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,046 £785

69.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$20.3K £15.2K

26.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$69.4 £52.1

17.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$31.93 £23.95

53.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$77.6 £58.2

39.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$51.1 £38.30

124.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,130 £848

41.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$810 £607

44.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$1,479 £1,109

89.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,631 £1,224

32.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$3,465 £2,600

93.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,474 £2,606

35.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

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 17, 2026

Last update for Folkestone: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Folkestone

$810 41% 30.6% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Folkestone

$318 16.1% 17.8% $69

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Folkestone

$292 14.8% 18.5% $66

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Folkestone

$285 14.4% 14.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Folkestone

$103 5.2% 34.9% $55

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Folkestone

$53 2.7% 57% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Folkestone

$115 5.8% 57.6% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,130 in Folkestone. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh versus $67.0 in Folkestone. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $285 – making Folkestone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Folkestone

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

45,273

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Folkestone 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Folkestone

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 Folkestone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $2,966 in Folkestone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh and $67.0 in Folkestone. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,601 in Edinburgh and $1,977 in Folkestone. That's a gap of about 32%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Folkestone, where all-in costs run around $1,977, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Folkestone it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Folkestone – 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 Folkestone. 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.