Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Fort William

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort William: $2,455 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Fort William
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Fort William Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Fort William

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,455

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Fort William

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,455 in Fort William, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Fort William $2,455

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,592 in Fort William, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Fort William $3,592

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,730 in Fort William, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Fort William $4,730

Edinburgh costs about 6% more than Fort William, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Fort William sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Fort William by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$20.26 £15.20

16.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$98.3 £73.8

10.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.59 £7.95

1.13%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.63 £3.47

13.39%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.73 £2.05

-9.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.96 £1.47

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$7.03 £5.28

12.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$7.81 £5.86

2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.48 £1.11

14.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.73 £1.30

35.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.03 £1.52

16.26%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.49 £2.61

42.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$9.00 £6.75

2.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$10.71 £8.03

-12.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$15.56 £11.67

1.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.86 £2.15

5.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.30 £0.98

44.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.06 £1.54

66.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.80 £2.85

-3.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.16 £0.87

73.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.35 £1.01

14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.20 £0.90

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.60 £1.20

20.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$21.80 £16.36

6.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.96 £8.23

2.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.71 £2.03

15.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.10 £2.32

5.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.66 £2.75

-14.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$108 £80.9

-10.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$4.04 £3.03

34.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.44 £1.83

-25.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$23.80 £17.86

18.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.15 £1.62

-3.26%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

-0.04%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$39.8K £29.9K

0.12%

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

$328 £246

$378 £284

-13.28%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$27.94 £20.96

-41.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$43.04 £32.29

-1.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$46.86 £35.16

-5.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

$6.75 £5.06

241.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$11.56 £8.67

24.48%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,792 £1,345

-0.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$23.5K £17.6K

9.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$96.2 £72.2

-15.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$48.12 £36.10

1.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$104 £77.8

4.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$115 £86.4

-0.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,213 £910

31.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,012 £759

15.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,161 £1,621

29.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,628 £1,221

32.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,096 £3,823

31.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,553 £2,666

32.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$1,973 £1,480

80.31%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Fort William: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Fort William

$1K 41.2% 13.4% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Fort William

$449 18.3% 16.1% $62

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Fort William

$319 13% 11.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Fort William

$303 12.3% 8.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Fort William

$163 6.7% 2.9% $4.6

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Fort William

$139 5.7% 11.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Fort William

$70 2.9% 4.4% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,213 in Fort William. 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 80% 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 $98.0 in Fort William. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $303 – making Fort William the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Fort William

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

10,000

💱 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

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Edinburgh Fort William 150 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 Fort William: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,682 in Fort William. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fort William, 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 $98.0 in Fort William. 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 $2,455 in Fort William. That's a gap of about 6%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Fort William, where all-in costs run around $2,455, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Fort William it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Fort William – 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 Fort William. 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.