Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Lichfield

For one person, living is cheaper in Lichfield: $2,377 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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 Lichfield
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Lichfield Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Lichfield

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,377

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Lichfield

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,377 in Lichfield, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Lichfield $2,377

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,434 in Lichfield, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Lichfield $3,434

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,490 in Lichfield, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Lichfield $4,490

Edinburgh costs about 9% more than Lichfield, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$20.47 £15.36

15.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$66.7 £50.0

62.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$9.53 £7.15

12.38%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.69 £3.52

11.94%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.40 £1.80

3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.30 £0.98

66.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.69 £5.02

18.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$5.31 £3.98

50.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.66 £1.25

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.56 £1.17

50.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.19 £1.64

7.76%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.94 £2.96

25.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$9.53 £7.15

-3.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$8.54 £6.40

9.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$14.32 £10.74

10.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.47 £1.85

21.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.54 £1.16

22.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.38 £1.79

43.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.49 £2.62

5.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.52 £1.14

32.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.58 £1.19

-1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.21 £0.91

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.51 £1.14

27.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$21.01 £15.76

10.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.90 £8.18

2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.58 £1.94

20.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.22 £2.42

1.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.96 £2.97

-20.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$110 £82.2

-11.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$4.81 £3.61

12.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.35 £1.76

-22.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$24.33 £18.25

16.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.11 £1.58

-1.42%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$37.9K £28.4K

1.82%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.2K £30.1K

-0.80%

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

$328 £246

$315 £237

4.03%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$16.01 £12.01

2.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$48.33 £36.26

-12.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$50.4 £37.79

-11.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$12.11 £9.09

18.83%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,246 £935

42.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$24.1K £18.1K

6.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$84.2 £63.1

-3.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$41.96 £31.48

16.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$108 £80.7

0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$108 £81.1

6.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,221 £916

31.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,028 £771

13.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$1,329 £997

110.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,683 £1,263

28.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,257 £3,944

27.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$4,195 £3,147

12.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$4,310 £3,233

-17.45%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Lichfield: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Lichfield

$1K 43.2% 12% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Lichfield

$380 16% 1.9% $7.2

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Lichfield

$308 12.9% 14.3% $51

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Lichfield

$291 12.3% 12.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Lichfield

$154 6.5% 3.2% $5.1

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Lichfield

$142 6% 14.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Lichfield

$75 3.1% 1.9% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,221 in Lichfield. 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 21% higher in Lichfield, 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 $108 in Edinburgh versus $67.0 in Lichfield. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $291 – making Lichfield the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Lichfield

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

30,600

💱 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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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 Lichfield: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 9%, 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 $3,565 in Lichfield. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lichfield, 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 $67.0 in Lichfield. 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 $2,377 in Lichfield. That's a gap of about 9%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lichfield, where all-in costs run around $2,377, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Lichfield it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lichfield – 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 Lichfield. 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.