Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and the Isle of Islay

For one person, living is cheaper on the Isle of Islay: $2,352 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
113

Cost of Living Index on the Isle of Islay
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Isle of Islay Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and on the Isle of Islay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Edinburgh and on the Isle of Islay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Isle of Islay $2,352

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,353 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Isle of Islay $3,353

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,354 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Isle of Islay $4,354

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

Both Edinburgh and Isle of Islay sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Isle of Islay by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$21.60 £16.21

9.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$81.4 £61.1

33.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.60 £7.95

1.04%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.48 £3.36

17.19%

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

$2.48 £1.86

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.32 £0.99

64.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.83 £4.37

36.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.01 £4.51

33.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.03 £1.52

-16.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.75 £1.32

34.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.74 £2.06

-13.87%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$5.41 £4.06

-8.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$7.39 £5.54

24.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$9.52 £7.14

-2.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$15.36 £11.53

2.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.50 £1.88

20.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$2.20 £1.65

-14.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.82 £2.12

21.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$2.87 £2.15

27.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$3.06 £2.29

-34.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$2.11 £1.58

-26.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.86 £1.40

-29.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$2.43 £1.82

-20.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$23.79 £17.85

-2.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$12.03 £9.03

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.26 £2.44

-4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.22 £2.41

1.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.50 £2.62

-10.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$98.1 £73.6

-1.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$4.75 £3.56

14.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$3.79 £2.84

-51.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$26.58 £19.94

6.55%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

0.08%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.4K £30.3K

-1.39%

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

$328 £246

$238 £178

38.07%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$13.09 £9.82

25.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$42.21 £31.67

0.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$43.82 £32.88

1.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$13.44 £10.08

7.07%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,918 £1,439

-7.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$24.8K £18.6K

3.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$100 £75.1

-18.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$57.6 £43.19

-14.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$121 £90.9

-10.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$87.1 £65.4

31.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,272 £955

25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,039 £779

12.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,126 £1,595

31.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,449 £1,087

48.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,528 £4,147

21.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,409 £2,558

38.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.41

-11.83%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2% 11% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5% 24.3% $94

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4% 12.3% $44

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2% 0.8% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Isle of Islay

$165 7% 3.7% $5.8

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8% 9.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Isle of Islay

$71 3% 3.4% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,272 on the Isle of Islay. 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 $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Edinburgh vs $334 on the Isle of Islay – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🕒 Local time

16:13 4:13 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

3,457

💱 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

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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 Isle of Islay: 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 $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,528 on the Isle of Islay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper on the Isle of Islay, 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 $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. 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 $2,352 on the Isle of Islay. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further on the Isle of Islay, where all-in costs run around $2,352, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Isle of Islay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward the Isle of Islay – 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 the Isle of Islay. 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.