Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Newcastle upon Tyne

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle upon Tyne: $2,259 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle upon Tyne
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Newcastle upon Tyne Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Newcastle upon Tyne

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,259

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Newcastle upon Tyne

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 Newcastle upon Tyne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,259 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Newcastle upon Tyne $2,259

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,341 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Newcastle upon Tyne $3,341

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,423 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Newcastle upon Tyne $4,423

Edinburgh costs about 15% more than Newcastle upon Tyne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Newcastle upon Tyne sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Newcastle upon Tyne by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$19.66 £14.75

20.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$99.4 £74.6

9.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.85 £8.14

-1.29%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$5.03 £3.77

4.37%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$3.06 £2.30

-18.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$2.34 £1.75

-7.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.54 £4.90

21.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.67 £5.00

19.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.43 £1.08

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.85 £1.39

27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.18 £1.64

8.26%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.53 £2.65

40.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$10.06 £7.55

-8.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$9.22 £6.91

1.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$14.47 £10.86

9.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.95 £2.21

2.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.92 £1.44

-2.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.90 £2.18

17.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.43 £2.57

7.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.76 £1.32

14.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.38 £1.03

12.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.16 £0.87

13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.52 £1.14

26.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$20.68 £15.52

12.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.47 £7.85

6.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.19 £2.39

-2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.51 £2.64

-6.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.34 £2.51

-5.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$84.8 £63.6

14.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$6.67 £5.00

-18.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$1.61 £1.21

13.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$28.41 £21.31

-0.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.18 £1.63

-4.59%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$37.8K £28.4K

1.92%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.8K £30.6K

-2.36%

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

$328 £246

$243 £183

34.79%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$16.78 £12.59

-1.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$41.41 £31.06

2.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$36.15 £27.12

22.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

$19.45 £14.60

18.51%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$10.54 £7.91

36.53%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,221 £916

45.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$17.7K £13.3K

44.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$92.6 £69.4

-12.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$48.60 £36.46

0.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$109 £81.8

-0.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$94.5 £70.9

21.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,335 £1,002

19.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,009 £757

15.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,151 £1,614

30.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,557 £1,168

38.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,212 £3,910

28.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,676 £2,758

28.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$3,481 £2,611

2.22%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Newcastle upon Tyne: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$1K 44.7% 13.6% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$302 13.4% 22% $85

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$318 14.1% 11.4% $41

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$305 13.5% 8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$155 6.9% 2.4% $3.8

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$113 5% 9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$57 2.5% 21.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,335 in Newcastle upon Tyne. 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 2% 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 $108 in Edinburgh versus $99.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $305 – making Newcastle upon Tyne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Newcastle upon Tyne

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

809,000

💱 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

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Edinburgh Newcastle upon Tyne 150 km

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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 Newcastle upon Tyne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,389 in Newcastle upon Tyne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Newcastle upon Tyne, 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 $108 in Edinburgh and $99.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,601 in Edinburgh and $2,259 in Newcastle upon Tyne. That's a gap of about 15%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Newcastle upon Tyne, where all-in costs run around $2,259, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Newcastle upon Tyne it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Newcastle upon Tyne – 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 Newcastle upon Tyne. 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.