Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Liverpool

For one person, living is cheaper in Liverpool: $2,210 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Liverpool
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Liverpool Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Liverpool

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Liverpool

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,210 in Liverpool, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Liverpool $2,210

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,276 in Liverpool, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Liverpool $3,276

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,343 in Liverpool, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Liverpool $4,343

Edinburgh costs about 18% more than Liverpool, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edinburgh and Liverpool sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Liverpool by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$25.52 £19.15

-7.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$106 £79.3

2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.40 £7.81

2.98%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.93 £3.70

6.49%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.37 £1.78

4.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.83 £1.37

18.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.78 £5.08

17.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.63 £4.97

20.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.80 £1.35

-6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.66 £1.24

41.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.22 £1.66

6.31%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.70 £2.77

34.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$8.25 £6.19

11.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$8.47 £6.36

10.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$14.07 £10.55

12.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.86 £2.15

5.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.67 £1.25

12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.84 £2.13

20.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$2.95 £2.22

24.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$2.00 £1.50

0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.51 £1.13

2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.22 £0.92

8.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.64 £1.23

17.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$23.39 £17.55

-0.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$9.85 £7.39

13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.87 £2.15

8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.06 £2.30

6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$2.63 £1.97

19.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$106 £79.4

-8.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$4.92 £3.69

10.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.69 £2.02

-32.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$22.23 £16.68

27.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.07 £1.55

0.48%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.3K £28.8K

0.60%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.1K £30.1K

-0.68%

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

$328 £246

$299 £225

9.65%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$21.04 £15.79

-21.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$41.11 £30.84

2.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$33.52 £25.15

32.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

$17.06 £12.80

35.11%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$19.11 £14.34

-24.70%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,770 £1,328

0.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$15.7K £11.8K

63.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$92.8 £69.7

-12.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$43.45 £32.60

12.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$102 £76.4

6.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$103 £77.0

11.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,171 £879

36.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$838 £629

39.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,203 £1,653

27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,251 £938

72.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$3,746 £2,810

79.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$2,632 £1,975

79.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$3,279 £2,460

8.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.15

-7.38%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Liverpool: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Liverpool

$838 37.9% 28.2% $329

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Liverpool

$361 16.4% 6.6% $26

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Liverpool

$358 16.2% 0.1% $0.2

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Liverpool

$292 13.2% 12.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Liverpool

$153 6.9% 3.5% $5.5

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Liverpool

$135 6.1% 8.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Liverpool

$72 3.3% 2% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,171 in Liverpool. 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 8% 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 $106 in Liverpool. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $292 – making Liverpool the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Liverpool

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

434,900

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Liverpool 280 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 Liverpool: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 18%, 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 $3,315 in Liverpool. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Liverpool, 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 $106 in Liverpool. 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 $2,210 in Liverpool. That's a gap of about 18%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Liverpool, where all-in costs run around $2,210, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Liverpool it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Liverpool – 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 Liverpool. 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.