Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Kirkwall

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkwall: $2,121 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Kirkwall

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Kirkwall $2,121

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,026 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Kirkwall $3,026

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,931 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Kirkwall $3,931

Edinburgh costs about 23% more than Kirkwall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edinburgh and Kirkwall sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Kirkwall by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$23.63 £17.73

0.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$94.8 £71.1

14.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.57 £7.93

1.32%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$3.92 £2.94

33.93%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$3.26 £2.44

-23.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.31 £0.98

65.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.20 £4.65

28.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$8.47 £6.36

-5.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$0.79 £0.59

113.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.58 £1.19

48.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.05 £1.54

15.12%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.22 £2.42

54.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$6.59 £4.95

39.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$8.97 £6.73

4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$15.90 £11.92

-0.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.20 £1.65

36.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.97 £1.48

-4.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$1.57 £1.18

117.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$1.32 £0.99

178.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.11 £0.83

81.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.09 £0.82

42.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$0.77 £0.58

71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.08 £0.81

78.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$20.10 £15.08

15.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$9.18 £6.89

22.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.71 £2.03

15.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.88 £2.16

13.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$10.51 £7.89

-70.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$107 £80.4

-9.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$5.19 £3.90

4.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.58 £1.93

-29.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$27.06 £20.30

4.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.05 £1.54

1.46%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$37.8K £28.4K

1.89%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$41.2K £30.9K

-3.14%

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

$328 £246

$282 £212

16.19%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$30.12 £22.60

-45.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$33.04 £24.79

28.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$41.73 £31.31

6.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$11.46 £8.60

25.57%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,237 £928

43.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$91.5 £68.7

-11.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$43.72 £32.80

12.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$95.0 £71.3

13.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$138 £103

-16.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$935 £701

71.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$792 £594

47.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$1,182 £887

137.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$966 £725

123.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$1,914 £1,436

85.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.07

-5.92%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Kirkwall

$792 37.3% 32.2% $376

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Kirkwall

$346 16.3% 10.7% $41

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Kirkwall

$334 15.8% 6.9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Kirkwall

$252 11.9% 24% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Kirkwall

$165 7.8% 4.2% $6.6

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Kirkwall

$167 7.9% 34.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Kirkwall

$65 3.1% 11.7% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $935 in Kirkwall. 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 86% 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 $108 in Edinburgh versus $95.0 in Kirkwall. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $252 – making Kirkwall the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

7,500

💱 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 Kirkwall 340 km

From you

Edinburgh
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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 Kirkwall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,182 in Kirkwall. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kirkwall, 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 $95.0 in Kirkwall. 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 $2,121 in Kirkwall. That's a gap of about 23%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kirkwall, where all-in costs run around $2,121, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Kirkwall it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kirkwall – 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 Kirkwall. 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.