Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Oxford

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $3,210 in Oxford, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Oxford
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Oxford Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Oxford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Oxford

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,210 in Oxford, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Oxford $3,210

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,477 in Oxford, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Oxford $4,477

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,743 in Oxford, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Oxford $5,743

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.19

$24.95 £18.64

-2.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$104 £77.7

1.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.82

$10.60 £7.92

-1.23%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.94 £3.69

1.62%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$4.46 £3.33

-45.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$9.04 £6.75

-11.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$8.55 £6.39

-7.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.69 £1.26

3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.70 £1.27

37.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.97 £1.47

19.29%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$4.06 £3.04

26.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$13.74 £10.27

-34.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$8.58 £6.41

7.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$14.83 £11.08

9.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$3.33 £2.49

-8.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.70 £1.27

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$3.01 £2.25

11.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$3.73 £2.79

0.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.73 £1.29

18.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.76 £1.31

-13.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.21 £0.90

9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.61 £1.20

17.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.83

$23.70 £17.70

0.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.19

$11.30 £8.45

-3.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$3.26 £2.44

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.39 £2.53

-5.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.89 £2.91

-19.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.6

$110 £82.0

-9.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$4.98 £3.72

9.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$3.18 £2.37

-40.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.29

$42.14 £31.48

-32.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.11 £1.58

-2.37%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.4K £28.7K

-0.53%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$41.1K £30.7K

-3.41%

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

$329 £246

$361 £270

-8.79%

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

$16.81 £12.56

$18.08 £13.51

-7.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.22

$44.18 £33.00

-2.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.26

$41.85 £31.26

-0.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.43

$11.49 £8.58

103.05%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.96

$16.03 £11.98

-8.48%

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

$1,901 £1,420

$2,254 £1,684

-15.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.3K

$15.2K £11.4K

69.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$98.8 £73.8

-16.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.36

$46.09 £34.43

8.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.0

$102 £76.4

3.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.1

$104 £77.8

10.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$2,187 £1,634

-22.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$1,706 £1,275

-29.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,211

$3,231 £2,414

-8.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,632

$2,464 £1,841

-11.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,772

$8,794 £6,570

-27.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,372

$6,600 £4,931

-31.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,713

$4,032 £3,012

-9.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.79

-0.42%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Oxford: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Oxford

$1.7K 53.2% 41.6% $501

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Oxford

$423 13.2% 8.7% $34

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Oxford

$380 11.8% 5.2% $19

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Oxford

$323 10.1% 3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Oxford

$158 4.9% 0.5% $0.8

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Oxford

$146 4.6% 14.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Oxford

$74 2.3% 3.9% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $2,187 in Oxford. 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 11% higher in Oxford, 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 $105 in Edinburgh versus $104 in Oxford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $323 – making Oxford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Oxford

🕒 Local time

22:25 10:25 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

165,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Oxford 480 km

From you

Edinburgh
Oxford

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 Oxford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oxford is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $4,815 in Oxford. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,691 there versus $2,187 in Oxford.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $3,210 in Oxford. That makes Edinburgh about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,901 per month in Edinburgh and $2,254 in Oxford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,645 in Edinburgh and $3,210 in Oxford. 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Edinburgh. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oxford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.