Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Inverness

For one person, living is cheaper in Inverness: $2,376 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Inverness
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Inverness Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Inverness

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Inverness

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,376 in Inverness, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Inverness $2,376

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,317 in Inverness, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Inverness $3,317

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,259 in Inverness, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Inverness $4,259

Edinburgh costs about 11% more than Inverness, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Inverness sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Inverness by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.19

$20.94 £15.65

16.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$67.8 £50.6

55.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.82

$10.49 £7.83

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.13 £3.09

21.55%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.04 £1.52

18.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.35 £1.01

62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$5.19 £3.88

54.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$6.59 £4.92

20.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.58 £1.18

10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.70 £1.27

37.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.05 £1.53

14.63%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$4.04 £3.02

26.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$8.95 £6.69

1.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$9.06 £6.77

2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$15.98 £11.94

1.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$2.24 £1.67

36.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.57 £1.18

19.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$1.56 £1.17

114.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$1.31 £0.98

186.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.14 £0.85

79.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.06 £0.79

44.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.13 £0.85

17.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.52 £1.13

24.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.83

$21.60 £16.13

10.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.19

$11.07 £8.27

-0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$3.30 £2.46

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$2.78 £2.08

15.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.26 £2.43

-3.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.6

$61.8 £46.19

61.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$5.33 £3.98

2.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.14 £0.85

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.29

$23.64 £17.66

20.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.96 £1.47

5.10%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$39.1K £29.2K

-2.33%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$39.9K £29.8K

-0.38%

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

$329 £246

$317 £237

3.86%

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

$16.81 £12.56

$20.20 £15.09

-16.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.22

$42.20 £31.52

2.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.26

$42.99 £32.11

-2.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.43

$8.08 £6.04

188.74%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.96

$14.55 £10.87

0.82%

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

$1,901 £1,420

$1,105 £825

72.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.3K

$21.5K £16.1K

19.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$92.3 £69.0

-11.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.36

$45.28 £33.83

10.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.0

$92.6 £69.2

14.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.1

$90.0 £67.2

28.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$1,314 £982

28.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$1,110 £829

8.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,211

$2,242 £1,675

31.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,632

$1,608 £1,201

35.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,772

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,372

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,713

$3,211 £2,399

13.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.79

-0.42%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Inverness: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Inverness

$1.1K 46.7% 7.9% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Inverness

$379 16% 2.5% $9.8

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Inverness

$301 12.7% 16.5% $60

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Inverness

$283 11.9% 14.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Inverness

$144 6.1% 9.3% $15

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Inverness

$86 3.6% 32.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Inverness

$72 3% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,314 in Inverness. 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 13% higher in Edinburgh. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $68 in Inverness. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $283 – making Inverness the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Inverness

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

47,060

💱 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

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Edinburgh Inverness 180 km

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Edinburgh
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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 Inverness: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $3,563 in Inverness. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Inverness, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,314 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh and $68 in Inverness. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,376 in Inverness. That makes Inverness about 10% cheaper.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,376 in Inverness. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Inverness. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Edinburgh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.