Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Motherwell

For one person, living is cheaper in Motherwell: $2,306 a month against $2,724 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Motherwell
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Motherwell Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,724

/mo nomad

Motherwell

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Motherwell

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

A single person spends $2,724 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,306 in Motherwell, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,724
Motherwell $2,306

A couple spends around $4,109 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,342 in Motherwell, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,109
Motherwell $3,342

A family of three spends $5,494 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,377 in Motherwell, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,494
Motherwell $4,377

Edinburgh costs about 18% more than Motherwell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Motherwell sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 101%, Motherwell by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.24 £18.02

$19.71 £14.65

22.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £80.4

$66.6 £49.50

62.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.93

$10.52 £7.82

1.43%

Cappuccino

$5.10 £3.79

$4.83 £3.59

5.59%

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

$2.48 £1.85

$2.36 £1.76

5.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.66

$1.89 £1.40

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.81

$5.46 £4.05

43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 £6.05

$6.81 £5.06

19.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.47 £1.10

18.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 £1.73

$1.63 £1.21

42.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.74

$2.23 £1.66

4.93%

Eggs

$4.90 £3.64

$4.06 £3.02

20.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £6.96

$9.25 £6.87

1.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 £7.15

$9.29 £6.90

3.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 £11.75

$17.02 £12.65

-7.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.30

$2.96 £2.20

4.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.50 £1.12

27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 £2.43

$2.80 £2.08

16.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.66

$3.16 £2.35

12.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.48

$2.00 £1.49

-0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.37 £1.02

14.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.96

$1.14 £0.85

13.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.66 £1.23

16.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 £17.95

$22.09 £16.41

9.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.04

$10.53 £7.82

2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.36

$3.27 £2.43

-2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.43

$3.34 £2.48

-2.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 £2.44

$3.99 £2.96

-17.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £74.9

$98.6 £73.3

2.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.93

$5.85 £4.35

-9.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.80

$1.87 £1.39

29.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.91 £34.86

$23.71 £17.62

97.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$2.19 £1.62

0.91%

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

$38.5K £28.6K

$39.4K £29.3K

-2.27%

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

$40.5K £30.1K

$41.1K £30.5K

-1.41%

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

$335 £249

$236 £176

41.60%

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

$16.31 £12.12

$20.05 £14.90

-18.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.88 £30.38

$43.38 £32.24

-5.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 £31.55

$44.11 £32.78

-3.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.02 £17.85

$6.62 £4.92

262.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 £11.16

$12.09 £8.99

24.23%

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

$1,869 £1,389

$1,128 £838

65.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K £19.3K

$22.8K £16.9K

14.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 £62.3

$120 £89.5

-30.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.78 £35.51

$47.45 £35.26

0.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.5

$103 £76.9

4.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.5

$92.1 £68.4

29.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 £1,243

$1,268 £942

31.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 £946

$1,030 £766

23.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 £2,238

$2,090 £1,553

44.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 £1,670

$1,620 £1,204

38.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,479 £4,815

$5,310 £3,946

22.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,429 £3,291

$3,380 £2,512

31.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,796 £2,821

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

-4.60%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Motherwell: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.3K 46.7%

Motherwell

$1K 44.7% 19.1% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$392 14.4%

Motherwell

$300 13% 23.5% $92

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.3%

Motherwell

$305 13.2% 15.6% $56

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.2%

Motherwell

$310 13.4% 7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$162 5.9%

Motherwell

$164 7.1% 1.2% $1.9

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$131 4.8%

Motherwell

$130 5.6% 1.2% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$72 2.7%

Motherwell

$68 3% 5.8% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,673 in Edinburgh versus $1,268 in Motherwell. 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 $67 in Motherwell. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $310 – making Motherwell the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Motherwell

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

32,120

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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From you

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 Motherwell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 18%, 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 $3,459 in Motherwell. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Motherwell, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,268 there versus $1,673 in Edinburgh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,724 in Edinburgh and $2,306 in Motherwell. That makes Motherwell about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,869 per month in Edinburgh and $1,128 in Motherwell. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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