Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Livingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Livingston: $2,109 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Livingston
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Livingston Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

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Livingston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,109

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Livingston

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,109 in Livingston, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Livingston $2,109

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,288 in Livingston, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Livingston $3,288

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,467 in Livingston, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Livingston $4,467

Edinburgh costs about 25% more than Livingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Livingston sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Livingston by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.15

$19.94 £14.87

22.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.5

$100 £74.8

4.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.80

$10.45 £7.79

0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.74

$5.24 £3.91

-4.20%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.72 £2.03

-11.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$2.26 £1.69

-3.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £5.99

$6.77 £5.05

18.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.90

$6.70 £4.99

18.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.43 £1.07

22.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.94 £1.45

20.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.22 £1.66

5.86%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.82

$3.66 £2.73

40.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.75

$9.00 £6.71

0.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.91

$8.86 £6.61

4.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.06

$14.53 £10.83

11.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.27

$2.91 £2.17

4.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.82 £1.36

2.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.87 £2.14

16.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$3.41 £2.54

9.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.71 £1.28

19.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.38 £1.03

10.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £0.99

$1.21 £0.90

9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.56 £1.16

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.80

$20.78 £15.49

14.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.17

$10.81 £8.06

1.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.35

$3.06 £2.28

3.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.23 £2.41

-0.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.49 £2.60

-10.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.4

$95.2 £71.0

4.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$5.29 £3.94

3.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.61 £1.20

18.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.25

$27.76 £20.70

2.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.07 £1.54

-0.48%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$38.8K £28.9K

-1.41%

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

$39.7K £29.6K

$40.0K £29.8K

-0.61%

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

$329 £245

$321 £240

2.49%

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

$16.81 £12.53

$16.94 £12.63

-0.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.15

$41.06 £30.61

5.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.19

$46.04 £34.33

-9.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.39

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.93

$10.51 £7.84

39.58%

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

$1,901 £1,417

$1,245 £929

52.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.2K

$17.5K £13.1K

47.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.3

$92.2 £68.7

-10.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.28

$47.80 £35.64

4.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.8

$108 £80.8

-2.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$96.1 £71.7

19.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,261

$852 £635

98.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £898

$763 £569

57.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,206

$1,930 £1,439

53.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,629

$1,502 £1,120

45.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,762

$4,998 £3,726

27.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,365

$3,861 £2,878

16.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,708

$3,972 £2,961

-8.56%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Livingston: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Livingston

$763 36.2% 36.7% $442

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Livingston

$379 18% 2.5% $9.9

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Livingston

$321 15.2% 11.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Livingston

$301 14.3% 9.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Livingston

$155 7.4% 2.4% $3.9

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Livingston

$123 5.8% 3.8% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Livingston

$67 3.2% 5.8% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $852 in Livingston. 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 9% higher in Livingston, 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 $105 in Edinburgh versus $100 in Livingston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $301 – making Livingston the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Livingston

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

56,840

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Livingston 22 km

From you

Edinburgh
Livingston

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 Livingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 25%, 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 $3,163 in Livingston. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Livingston, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $852 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh and $100 in Livingston. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,109 in Livingston. That makes Livingston about 20% cheaper.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,109 in Livingston. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Livingston is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 20% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.