Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Middlesex

For one person, living is cheaper in Middlesex: $2,323 a month against $2,724 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Middlesex
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Middlesex Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,724

/mo nomad

Middlesex

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Middlesex

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

A single person spends $2,724 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,323 in Middlesex, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,724
Middlesex $2,323

A couple spends around $4,109 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,517 in Middlesex, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,109
Middlesex $3,517

A family of three spends $5,494 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,710 in Middlesex, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,494
Middlesex $4,710

Edinburgh costs about 17% more than Middlesex, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Middlesex sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 101%, Middlesex by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.24 £18.05

$21.22 £15.80

14.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £80.6

$70.3 £52.3

53.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.94

$9.69 £7.21

10.11%

Cappuccino

$5.10 £3.79

$4.07 £3.03

25.31%

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

$2.48 £1.85

$3.12 £2.32

-20.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.66

$1.99 £1.48

12.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.82

$4.90 £3.65

59.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 £6.06

$4.20 £3.12

93.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.30 £0.97

33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 £1.73

$1.42 £1.06

63.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.74

$3.71 £2.76

-36.93%

Eggs

$4.90 £3.65

$3.73 £2.77

31.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £6.97

$7.58 £5.64

23.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 £7.16

$7.07 £5.26

36.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 £11.77

$14.09 £10.49

12.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.30

$3.23 £2.40

-4.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.02 £0.76

87.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 £2.44

$1.02 £0.76

220.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.66

$3.71 £2.76

-3.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.81 £1.35

9.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.77 £1.32

-11.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.96

$0.98 £0.73

31.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.93 £1.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 £17.98

$22.91 £17.05

5.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.05

$9.56 £7.12

13.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.37

$4.84 £3.61

-34.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.44

$3.61 £2.69

-9.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 £2.45

$3.72 £2.77

-11.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £75.0

$106 £78.7

-4.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.94

$3.27 £2.43

61.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.81

$1.57 £1.17

54.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.91 £34.92

$33.63 £25.03

39.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$2.02 £1.51

9.41%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$39.0K £29.0K

-1.16%

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

$40.5K £30.1K

$40.9K £30.4K

-0.98%

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

$335 £249

$355 £264

-5.63%

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

$16.31 £12.14

$25.76 £19.17

-36.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.88 £30.43

$39.95 £29.74

2.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 £31.60

$47.44 £35.32

-10.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.02 £17.88

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 £11.18

$17.54 £13.06

-14.37%

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

$1,869 £1,392

$1,632 £1,215

14.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K £19.4K

$19.0K £14.1K

37.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 £62.4

$110 £82.0

-23.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.78 £35.57

$56.1 £41.76

-14.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.6

$114 £85.0

-5.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.7

$114 £84.5

4.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 £1,245

$1,273 £947

31.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 £947

$921 £686

38.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 £2,242

$1,860 £1,385

61.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 £1,672

$1,823 £1,357

23.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,479 £4,823

$5,152 £3,835

25.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,429 £3,297

$3,899 £2,902

13.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,796 £2,826

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.53

-13.74%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Middlesex: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.3K 46.7%

Middlesex

$921 39.7% 27.6% $352

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$392 14.4%

Middlesex

$420 18.1% 7.3% $28

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.3%

Middlesex

$301 13% 16.7% $60

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.2%

Middlesex

$289 12.4% 13.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$162 5.9%

Middlesex

$177 7.6% 9.7% $16

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$131 4.8%

Middlesex

$132 5.7% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$72 2.7%

Middlesex

$83 3.6% 13.8% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,673 in Edinburgh versus $1,273 in Middlesex. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh versus $70 in Middlesex. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $289 – making Middlesex the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Middlesex

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

17,162

💱 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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Between locations

Edinburgh Middlesex 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Edinburgh
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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 Middlesex: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,086 per month in Edinburgh and $3,484 in Middlesex. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Middlesex, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,273 there versus $1,673 in Edinburgh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh and $70 in Middlesex. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,724 in Edinburgh and $2,323 in Middlesex. That makes Middlesex about 15% cheaper.

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