Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Kettering

For one person, living is cheaper in Kettering: $1,921 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Edinburgh
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,617
/mo nomad
Kettering
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,921
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Kettering

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Edinburgh vs $1,921 in Kettering, rent included.

  • Edinburgh $2,617
  • Kettering $1,921

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,555 in Kettering, rent included.

  • Edinburgh $3,956
  • Kettering $2,555

A family of three spends $5,295 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,189 in Kettering, rent included.

  • Edinburgh $5,295
  • Kettering $3,189

Edinburgh costs about 36% more than Kettering, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and Kettering sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Kettering by 42%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Edinburgh
Kettering
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.64 £17.73
$19.80 £14.86
19.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$104 £78.2
$80.4 £60.3
29.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.48 £7.86
$10.75 £8.07
-2.51%
Cappuccino
$5.08 £3.81
$4.59 £3.44
10.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 £1.87
$2.10 £1.58
19.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 £1.61
$1.53 £1.15
40.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.06 £6.04
$5.75 £4.31
40.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.13 £6.10
$5.35 £4.01
51.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Edinburgh
Kettering
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 £1.26
$1.44 £1.08
16.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 £1.71
$1.76 £1.32
30.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 £1.69
$2.71 £2.03
-16.97%
Eggs
$5.05 £3.79
$3.98 £2.99
26.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.05 £6.79
$9.01 £6.76
0.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.49 £7.12
$7.54 £5.66
25.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.12 £12.10
$16.40 £12.30
-1.71%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 £2.29
$3.30 £2.48
-7.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.93 £1.45
$1.54 £1.15
25.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.36 £2.52
$2.67 £2.01
25.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.68 £2.76
$3.16 £2.37
16.46%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.21 £0.91
71.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.54 £1.16
$1.71 £1.28
-9.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 £0.94
$1.21 £0.91
3.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 £1.45
$1.24 £0.93
56.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.67 £17.76
$23.65 £17.74
0.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.13 £8.35
$9.70 £7.28
14.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.22 £2.42
$3.28 £2.46
-1.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 £2.40
$2.39 £1.79
33.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Edinburgh
Kettering
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.20 £2.40
$2.59 £1.94
23.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.7 £72.6
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.18 £3.89
$4.09 £3.07
26.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.59 £1.19
16.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.69 £21.52
$31.82 £23.87
-9.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.14 £1.60
$2.00 £1.50
7.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K £29.0K
$37.6K £28.2K
2.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.2K £30.9K
$41.0K £30.7K
0.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edinburgh
Kettering
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$330 £248
$200 £150
64.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.39 £12.30
$16.23 £12.17
0.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.15 £31.63
$43.94 £32.96
-4.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Edinburgh
Kettering
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.13 £33.11
$39.72 £29.80
11.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.04 £17.28
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.30 £10.73
$12.96 £9.73
10.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Edinburgh
Kettering
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,759 £1,319
$1,503 £1,128
16.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.4K £19.0K
$22.3K £16.7K
13.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Edinburgh
Kettering
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.6 £60.4
$86.4 £64.8
-6.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.45 £37.10
$31.23 £23.43
58.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 £79.2
$73.9 £55.4
42.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 £86.0
$97.2 £72.9
17.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Edinburgh
Kettering
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,611 £1,209
$1,053 £790
53.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,185 £889
$851 £638
39.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,738 £2,054
$1,071 £804
155.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,106 £1,580
$758 £569
177.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,632 £4,976
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,609 £3,458
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Edinburgh
Kettering
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,522 £2,642
$4,330 £3,248
-18.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.77
5.06
-5.73%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kettering: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Edinburgh
$1.2K
Kettering
$851 28.2% $334
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edinburgh
$389
Kettering
$260 33% $128
Eating Out
Edinburgh
$357
Kettering
$300 15.9% $57
Groceries & Markets
Edinburgh
$333
Kettering
$292 12.2% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Edinburgh
$158
Kettering
$130 17.6% $28
Getting Around
Edinburgh
$124
Kettering
$22 * 81.9% $102
Sport & Entertainment
Edinburgh
$73
Kettering
$66 9.7% $7.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Edinburgh versus $1,053 in Kettering. 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 23% higher in Kettering, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Edinburgh versus $80.0 in Kettering. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $292 – making Kettering the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Edinburgh
🇬🇧 Kettering
🕒 Local time
18:32 6:32 PM
18:32 6:32 PM
Same time as Edinburgh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
488,050
56,676
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Edinburgh Kettering 430 km
From you
  • Edinburgh
  • Kettering

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 Kettering: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kettering cheaper than Edinburgh?
Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,925 per month in Edinburgh and $2,881 in Kettering. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kettering, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Edinburgh and in Kettering?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,617 in Edinburgh and $1,921 in Kettering. That's a gap of about 36%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,759 per month in Edinburgh and $1,503 in Kettering. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Edinburgh or in Kettering?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Kettering, where all-in costs run around $1,921, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Kettering it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Edinburgh or Kettering more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kettering – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Edinburgh or Kettering?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kettering. 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.

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