Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Ilford

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilford: $2,414 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Ilford
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Ilford Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Ilford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Ilford

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,414 in Ilford, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,617
Ilford $2,414

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,764 in Ilford, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,956
Ilford $3,764

A family of three spends $5,295 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,115 in Ilford, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,295
Ilford $5,115

Edinburgh costs about 8% more than Ilford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Ilford sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Ilford by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$21.28 £15.97

11.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$93.9 £70.5

10.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$10.51 £7.89

-0.29%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$4.60 £3.45

10.43%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$2.81 £2.11

-11.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.83 £1.38

17.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$7.91 £5.93

1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$6.43 £4.82

26.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.64 £1.23

2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.72 £1.29

33.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$2.30 £1.72

-2.17%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$4.60 £3.45

9.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$9.46 £7.09

-4.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$9.61 £7.21

-1.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$15.45 £11.59

4.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$2.94 £2.21

3.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.41 £1.06

36.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.96 £2.22

13.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$3.28 £2.46

12.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.67 £1.25

23.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.77 £1.33

-12.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.28 £0.96

-2.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.77 £1.33

9.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$22.20 £16.65

6.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$10.88 £8.16

2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$3.04 £2.28

5.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.92 £2.94

-18.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.43 £2.57

-6.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

$97.6 £73.3

-0.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$5.39 £4.05

-3.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.61 £1.96

-28.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

$25.45 £19.09

12.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.11 £1.58

1.42%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$38.9K £29.2K

-0.77%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$40.9K £30.7K

0.56%

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

$330 £248

$334 £250

-1.04%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$18.31 £13.74

-10.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$40.86 £30.65

3.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$44.93 £33.70

-1.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$17.09 £12.82

-16.33%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$2,535 £1,902

-30.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$35.1K £26.3K

-27.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$88.0 £66.0

-8.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$46.25 £34.69

6.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$93.0 £69.8

13.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$96.2 £72.1

19.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$1,350 £1,013

19.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$1,023 £768

15.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$2,960 £2,221

-7.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$2,099 £1,575

0.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

$4,983 £3,739

33.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

$3,831 £2,874

20.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

$3,485 £2,615

1.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.04

-5.36%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ilford: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

Ilford

$1K 42.4% 13.6% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

Ilford

$393 16.3% 1.1% $4.1

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

Ilford

$328 13.6% 8% $29

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

Ilford

$315 13.1% 5.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

Ilford

$146 6% 7.6% $12

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

Ilford

$130 5.4% 4.7% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Ilford

$79 3.3% 8.8% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Edinburgh versus $1,350 in Ilford. 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 1% 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 $104 in Edinburgh versus $94.0 in Ilford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $315 – making Ilford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Ilford

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

168,168

💱 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 Ilford 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Ilford

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 Ilford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,925 per month in Edinburgh and $3,620 in Ilford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilford, 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 $104 in Edinburgh and $94.0 in Ilford. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,617 in Edinburgh and $2,414 in Ilford. That's a gap of about 8%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ilford, where all-in costs run around $2,414, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Ilford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ilford – 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 Ilford. 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.