Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Kirkwall Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Kirkwall

😐 Solo nomad: Edinburgh is 28.9% more expensive than Kirkwall without rent, and 19.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Edinburgh is 5.1% more expensive than Kirkwall without rent, and 19.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Edinburgh
Kirkwall
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.19 £15.12
$24.93 £18.67
-19.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$103 £77.5
$81.6 £61.1
26.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.81 £7.35
$10.24 £7.67
-4.20%
Cappuccino
$5.43 £4.07
$3.98 £2.98
36.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 £1.89
$2.25 £1.69
12.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 £1.53
$1.59 £1.19
28.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.49 £5.61
$5.61 £4.20
33.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.93 £5.19
$6.65 £4.98
4.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Edinburgh
Kirkwall
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.63 £1.22
0.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.67 £1.25
$1.66 £1.24
0.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.06 £1.54
$2.19 £1.64
-5.94%
Eggs
$4.29 £3.22
$3.86 £2.89
11.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.05 £9.02
$10.09 £7.56
19.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.20 £7.64
$8.77 £6.57
16.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.28 £13.69
$13.91 £10.42
31.42%
Apples (1kg)
$3.22 £2.41
$3.16 £2.37
1.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 £1.15
$1.58 £1.19
-2.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.17 £3.12
$2.90 £2.17
43.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.71 £3.53
$3.55 £2.66
32.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 £1.37
$1.61 £1.21
13.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.45 £1.09
$1.54 £1.16
-5.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 £0.90
$1.11 £0.83
8.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 £0.99
$1.47 £1.10
-10.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.08 £15.04
$18.87 £14.13
6.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.90 £8.16
$10.46 £7.83
4.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.52 £1.89
$2.80 £2.10
-10.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 £2.53
$3.09 £2.31
9.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Edinburgh
Kirkwall
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.76 £2.07
$3.46 £2.59
-20.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.2 £66.8
$88.8 £66.5
0.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.55 £4.16
$5.41 £4.05
2.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.03 £2.27
$1.58 £1.18
91.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$43.18 £32.34
$23.26 £17.42
85.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.89 £1.41
$1.87 £1.40
1.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.7K £28.3K
$38.6K £28.9K
-2.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.1K £29.3K
$40.6K £30.4K
-3.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edinburgh
Kirkwall
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$374 £280
$292 £219
27.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.06 £12.78
$17.20 £12.88
-0.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.92 £32.90
$42.58 £31.89
3.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Edinburgh
Kirkwall
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.4 £40.75
$26.29 £19.69
106.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.62 £18.44
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.18 £11.37
$13.54 £10.14
12.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Edinburgh
Kirkwall
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,904 £1,426
$1,566 £1,173
21.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.8K £17.8K
$18.5K £13.8K
28.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Edinburgh
Kirkwall
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$117 £87.3
$84.5 £63.3
37.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.6 £41.63
$44.24 £33.13
25.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 £88.2
$91.9 £68.8
28.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 £91.9
$99.3 £74.4
23.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Edinburgh
Kirkwall
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,662 £1,245
$1,229 £920
35.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,244 £932
$1,010 £756
23.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,070 £2,299
$2,007 £1,503
53.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,152 £1,612
$1,690 £1,266
27.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,628 £4,964
$5,236 £3,922
26.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,866 £3,645
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Edinburgh
Kirkwall
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,561 £2,667
$1,903 £1,425
87.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.63
5.63
-

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

Last update for Edinburgh: March 2, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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