Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Maidenhead

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,617 a month against $3,180 in Maidenhead, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
154

Cost of Living Index in Maidenhead
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Maidenhead Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Maidenhead

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,180

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Maidenhead

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,180 in Maidenhead, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,617
Maidenhead $3,180

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,459 in Maidenhead, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,956
Maidenhead $4,459

A family of three spends $5,295 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,737 in Maidenhead, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,295
Maidenhead $5,737

Edinburgh is about 18% cheaper than Maidenhead, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and Maidenhead sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Maidenhead by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$19.80 £14.86

19.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$98.2 £73.7

6.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$12.63 £9.47

-17.02%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$4.82 £3.62

5.39%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$2.21 £1.66

13.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$2.23 £1.68

-3.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$6.77 £5.08

19.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$6.54 £4.91

24.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.02 £1.51

-16.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$2.14 £1.60

7.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$2.88 £2.16

-21.87%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$4.60 £3.45

9.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$9.87 £7.40

-8.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$6.54 £4.91

45.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$37.47 £28.11

-56.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$2.09 £1.57

45.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.72 £1.29

12.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.66 £2.74

-8.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$5.26 £3.95

-30.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.22 £1.66

-6.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.60 £1.20

-3.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.27 £0.95

-1.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.82 £1.37

6.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$23.00 £17.25

2.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$14.64 £10.98

-23.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.22 £1.66

45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$2.37 £1.78

34.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$4.06 £3.04

-21.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

$148 £111

-34.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$3.72 £2.79

39.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.66 £1.99

-30.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

$27.19 £20.40

5.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.84 £1.38

16.30%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$39.5K £29.7K

-2.27%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$39.9K £29.9K

3.27%

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

$330 £248

$287 £215

15.00%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$15.30 £11.48

7.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$44.12 £33.10

-4.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$65.6 £49.22

-32.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

$53.4 £40.05

-56.84%

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$15.81 £11.86

-9.55%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$1,552 £1,164

13.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$23.7K £17.8K

7.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$120 £90.3

-33.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$83.6 £62.7

-40.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$111 £83.0

-4.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$131 £98.4

-12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$1,857 £1,393

-13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$1,646 £1,235

-28.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$2,551 £1,914

7.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$2,260 £1,696

-6.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

$5,387 £4,042

23.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

$3,985 £2,990

15.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

$3,984 £2,989

-11.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.57

4.38%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Maidenhead: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

Maidenhead

$1.6K 51.8% 39% $462

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

Maidenhead

$346 10.9% 10.8% $42

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

Maidenhead

$319 10% 10.6% $38

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

Maidenhead

$390 12.3% 17.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

Maidenhead

$201 6.3% 27.3% $43

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

Maidenhead

$181 5.7% 46.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Maidenhead

$97 3.1% 33.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Edinburgh versus $1,857 in Maidenhead. 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 13% higher in Maidenhead, 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 $104 in Edinburgh versus $98.0 in Maidenhead. Groceries tell a different story – $333 in Edinburgh vs $390 in Maidenhead – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Maidenhead

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

73,404

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Maidenhead 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Maidenhead

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 Maidenhead: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Maidenhead is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,925 per month in Edinburgh and $4,771 in Maidenhead. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edinburgh, 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 $104 in Edinburgh and $98.0 in Maidenhead. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,617 in Edinburgh and $3,180 in Maidenhead. That's a gap of about 22%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,617 in Edinburgh and $3,180 in Maidenhead. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Edinburgh – 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 Edinburgh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maidenhead makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.