Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Lerwick

For one person, living is cheaper in Lerwick: $2,368 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
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Lerwick Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Lerwick

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,368 in Lerwick, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Lerwick $2,368

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,415 in Lerwick, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Lerwick $3,415

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,462 in Lerwick, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Lerwick $4,462

Edinburgh costs about 10% more than Lerwick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Lerwick sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Lerwick by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$20.15 £15.11

17.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$98.5 £73.9

10.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.35 £7.76

3.48%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$5.40 £4.05

-2.78%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.25 £1.69

10.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.64 £1.23

32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.45 £4.84

23.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$5.86 £4.40

36.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.55 £1.16

9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.69 £1.27

39.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.21 £1.66

6.79%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$4.02 £3.02

23.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$9.37 £7.03

-1.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$8.57 £6.43

8.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$14.44 £10.84

9.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.03 £2.27

-0.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.51 £1.13

24.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.76 £2.07

23.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.28 £2.46

11.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.83 £1.37

9.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.71 £1.28

-9.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.26 £0.95

4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.55 £1.16

24.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$24.02 £18.02

-3.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.48 £7.86

6.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.00 £2.25

4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.07 £2.30

2.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$83.1 £62.3

16.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$4.23 £3.18

28.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.35 £1.76

-22.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$24.03 £18.03

17.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.34 £1.75

-11.11%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.9K £29.2K

-0.81%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$34.5K £25.9K

15.65%

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

$328 £246

$309 £232

6.05%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$19.33 £14.50

-14.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$45.26 £33.95

-6.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$52.8 £39.61

-15.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$13.32 £9.99

8.03%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,392 £1,045

27.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$24.5K £18.4K

4.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$88.7 £66.5

-8.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$50.6 £37.93

-3.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$89.1 £66.8

21.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$110 £82.8

3.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,112 £834

43.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,036 £777

12.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,395 £1,797

17.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,523 £1,143

41.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$4,646 £3,486

44.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,438 £2,579

37.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.09

-6.29%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lerwick: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Lerwick

$1K 43.7% 11.3% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Lerwick

$374 15.8% 3.3% $13

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Lerwick

$317 13.4% 11.7% $42

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Lerwick

$298 12.6% 10.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Lerwick

$152 6.4% 4.1% $6.5

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Lerwick

$111 4.7% 10.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Lerwick

$79 3.4% 8.5% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,112 in Lerwick. 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 $99.0 in Lerwick. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $298 – making Lerwick the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

7,000

💱 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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Between locations

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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 Lerwick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 10%, 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 $3,552 in Lerwick. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lerwick, 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 $99.0 in Lerwick. 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 $2,368 in Lerwick. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Lerwick, where all-in costs run around $2,368, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Lerwick it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lerwick – 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 Lerwick. 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.