Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Guildford

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,601 a month against $3,215 in Guildford, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
155

Cost of Living Index in Guildford
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Guildford Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Guildford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,215

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Guildford

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,215 in Guildford, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Guildford $3,215

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,512 in Guildford, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Guildford $4,512

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,808 in Guildford, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Guildford $5,808

Edinburgh is about 19% cheaper than Guildford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Guildford sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Guildford by 137%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$29.53 £22.15

-19.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$92.6 £69.4

17.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$11.20 £8.40

-4.37%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$5.17 £3.88

1.55%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.75 £2.06

-9.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.56 £1.17

39.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$8.60 £6.45

-7.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.58 £4.94

21.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.48 £1.11

14.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.33 £1.00

76.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$1.96 £1.47

20.41%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$4.26 £3.20

16.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$13.96 £10.47

-34.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$10.28 £7.71

-9.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$15.87 £11.91

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.58 £2.69

-15.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$2.06 £1.55

-8.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$3.64 £2.73

-6.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$5.21 £3.91

-29.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$2.02 £1.52

-0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.45 £1.09

6.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.14 £0.85

15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.50 £1.13

28.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$23.33 £17.50

-0.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$12.02 £9.01

-6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.40 £1.80

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.09 £2.32

5.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$2.86 £2.15

9.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$101 £75.5

-3.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$4.69 £3.52

15.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.01 £1.51

-9.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$40.30 £30.23

-29.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.07 £1.55

0.48%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.8K £29.1K

-0.51%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$41.3K £31.0K

-3.50%

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

$328 £246

$397 £298

-17.38%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$20.72 £15.55

-20.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$46.48 £34.87

-8.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$52.2 £39.13

-14.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

$22.92 £17.19

0.57%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$10.52 £7.89

36.79%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,822 £1,367

-2.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$23.6K £17.7K

8.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$112 £83.8

-27.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$67.2 £50.4

-27.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$120 £90.1

-9.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$127 £95.2

-9.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,901 £1,426

-15.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,615 £1,212

-27.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,896 £2,172

-3.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$2,387 £1,791

-9.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$7,630 £5,724

-12.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$7,122 £5,343

-33.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$3,713 £2,785

-4.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.13

-7.02%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Guildford: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Guildford

$1.6K 50.2% 38.3% $447

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Guildford

$464 14.5% 20% $77

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Guildford

$405 12.6% 13% $47

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Guildford

$339 10.5% 2% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Guildford

$192 6% 20.6% $33

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Guildford

$127 4% 2.2% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Guildford

$73 2.3% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,901 in Guildford. 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 4% higher in Guildford, 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 $93.0 in Guildford. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Edinburgh vs $339 in Guildford – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Guildford

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

66,773

💱 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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Between locations

Edinburgh Guildford 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Guildford

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 Guildford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guildford is pricier by about 24%, 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 $4,822 in Guildford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edinburgh, 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 $93.0 in Guildford. 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 $3,215 in Guildford. That's a gap of about 24%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,601 in Edinburgh and $3,215 in Guildford. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Edinburgh – 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 Edinburgh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guildford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.