Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Leicester

For one person, living is cheaper in Leicester: $2,266 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
Learn more

Edinburgh Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Leicester
Learn more

Leicester Living Index

Jump to prices

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Leicester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Leicester

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,266 in Leicester, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Leicester $2,266

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,200 in Leicester, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Leicester $3,200

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,133 in Leicester, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Leicester $4,133

Edinburgh costs about 17% more than Leicester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Leicester sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Leicester by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.15

$21.76 £16.23

11.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.5

$66.0 £49.20

59.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.80

$9.24 £6.89

13.31%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.74

$4.72 £3.52

6.36%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.42 £1.80

-0.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.36 £1.02

61.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £5.99

$6.74 £5.03

19.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.90

$5.20 £3.88

52.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.73 £1.29

1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.62 £1.21

43.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.18 £1.62

7.80%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.82

$3.94 £2.94

30.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.75

$10.21 £7.61

-11.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.91

$8.99 £6.70

3.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.06

$14.85 £11.07

8.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.27

$2.88 £2.14

5.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.49 £1.11

25.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.74 £2.04

22.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$3.47 £2.59

8.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.55 £1.16

32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.57 £1.17

-2.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £0.99

$1.18 £0.88

12.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.47 £1.09

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.80

$21.03 £15.68

13.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.17

$11.26 £8.40

-2.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.35

$2.49 £1.85

26.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.18 £2.37

1.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$4.11 £3.06

-23.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.4

$100 £74.6

-0.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$4.86 £3.62

12.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$3.93 £2.93

-51.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.25

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.03 £1.51

1.48%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$38.0K £28.3K

0.65%

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

$39.7K £29.6K

$40.2K £30.0K

-1.32%

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

$329 £245

$312 £233

5.49%

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

$16.81 £12.53

$16.36 £12.20

2.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.15

$44.04 £32.84

-2.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.19

$34.58 £25.78

20.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.39

$26.32 £19.62

-11.36%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.93

$14.55 £10.85

0.82%

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

$1,901 £1,417

$1,372 £1,023

38.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.2K

$26.4K £19.7K

-2.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.3

$83.0 £61.9

-0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.28

$41.80 £31.16

19.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.8

$107 £79.9

-1.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$107 £79.5

8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,261

$1,090 £813

55.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £898

$918 £684

31.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,206

$1,739 £1,296

70.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,629

$1,290 £961

69.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,762

$4,857 £3,621

31.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,365

$3,333 £2,485

35.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,708

$2,936 £2,189

23.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.33

-10.51%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Leicester: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Leicester

$918 40.5% 23.9% $287

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Leicester

$372 16.4% 4.3% $17

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Leicester

$318 14% 11.9% $43

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Leicester

$301 13.3% 9.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Leicester

$152 6.7% 4.1% $6.5

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Leicester

$141 6.2% 10.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Leicester

$64 2.8% 10.5% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,090 in Leicester. 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 24% higher in Edinburgh. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $66 in Leicester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $301 – making Leicester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Leicester

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

305,700

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Leicester 390 km

From you

Edinburgh
Leicester

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 Leicester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 17%, 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 $3,399 in Leicester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leicester, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,090 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,266 in Leicester. That makes Leicester about 14% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,901 per month in Edinburgh and $1,372 in Leicester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,266 in Leicester. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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