Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Margate

For one person, living is cheaper in Margate: $2,397 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Margate

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Margate

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,397 in Margate, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,617
Margate $2,397

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,447 in Margate, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,956
Margate $3,447

A family of three spends $5,295 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,498 in Margate, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,295
Margate $4,498

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

Both Edinburgh and Margate sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Margate by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$17.62 £13.22

34.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$59.2 £44.44

75.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$10.66 £8.00

-1.69%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$4.58 £3.44

10.92%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$1.93 £1.45

29.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.35 £1.02

59.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$7.96 £5.97

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$6.78 £5.08

19.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.58 £1.18

6.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.79 £1.34

27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$2.61 £1.96

-13.79%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$4.41 £3.31

14.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$9.78 £7.34

-7.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$9.66 £7.25

-1.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$15.68 £11.77

2.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$2.99 £2.24

2.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.69 £1.27

14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.56 £2.67

-5.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$3.52 £2.64

4.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.77 £1.33

16.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.80 £1.35

-14.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.23 £0.92

1.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.95 £1.47

-0.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$22.12 £16.59

7.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$11.19 £8.39

-0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.60 £1.95

23.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.86 £2.89

-17.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.30 £2.47

-3.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

$95.6 £71.7

1.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$7.95 £5.96

-34.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.58 £1.94

-27.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

$51.2 £38.43

-43.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.07 £1.55

3.38%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$37.6K £28.2K

2.78%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$41.0K £30.8K

0.28%

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

$330 £248

$342 £256

-3.43%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$18.66 £14.00

-12.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$42.12 £31.60

0.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$45.65 £34.25

-3.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$17.01 £12.76

-15.93%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$2,568 £1,926

-31.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$35.7K £26.8K

-28.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$90.6 £68.0

-11.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$47.65 £35.75

3.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$93.3 £70.0

13.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$127 £95.2

-9.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$1,200 £900

34.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$1,005 £754

17.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$2,134 £1,601

28.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$1,662 £1,247

26.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

$5,111 £3,834

29.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

$3,937 £2,954

17.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

$2,652 £1,990

32.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.04

-5.36%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Margate: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

Margate

$1K 42% 15.1% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

Margate

$403 16.8% 3.6% $14

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

Margate

$294 12.3% 17.4% $62

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

Margate

$324 13.5% 2.7% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

Margate

$161 6.7% 2.4% $3.7

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

Margate

$130 5.4% 4.5% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Margate

$80 3.3% 9.5% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Edinburgh versus $1,200 in Margate. 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 33% 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 $104 in Edinburgh versus $59.0 in Margate. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $324 – making Margate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Margate

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

58,465

💱 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 Margate 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Margate

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 Margate: 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 $3,925 per month in Edinburgh and $3,595 in Margate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Margate, 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 $59.0 in Margate. 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 $2,397 in Margate. That's a gap of about 9%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Margate, where all-in costs run around $2,397, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Margate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Margate – 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 Margate. 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.