Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Perth: $2,216 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Perth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Perth

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,216 in Perth, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Perth $2,216

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,240 in Perth, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Perth $3,240

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,263 in Perth, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Perth $4,263

Edinburgh costs about 17% more than Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edinburgh and Perth sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Perth by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$23.86 £17.90

-0.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$79.7 £59.8

36.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$16.07 £12.05

-33.35%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.12 £3.09

27.43%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.40 £1.80

3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.69 £1.26

28.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.50 £4.88

22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$5.64 £4.23

41.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.40 £1.05

20.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.37 £1.03

71.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$1.86 £1.40

26.88%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$2.43 £1.82

104.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$8.20 £6.15

12.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$8.65 £6.49

7.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$13.57 £10.18

16.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.20 £1.65

36.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.62 £1.21

16.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.61 £1.95

31.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.23 £2.42

13.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.50 £1.12

34.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.71 £1.28

-9.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.06 £0.79

24.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.54 £1.16

25.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$20.81 £15.61

11.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$11.27 £8.45

-0.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.00 £2.25

4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.87 £2.15

13.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.61 £2.71

-13.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$97.8 £73.4

-0.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$5.21 £3.91

4.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.64 £1.98

-31.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$24.06 £18.05

17.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.92 £1.44

8.33%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$35.2K £26.4K

9.49%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.7K £30.6K

-2.17%

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

$328 £246

$614 £460

-46.52%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$13.28 £9.96

24.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$36.40 £27.31

16.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$46.47 £34.86

-4.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$14.41 £10.81

-0.14%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,234 £926

43.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$25.2K £18.9K

1.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$91.5 £68.6

-11.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$45.09 £33.82

8.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$66.8 £50.1

62.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$142 £107

-19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$691 £518

131.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$568 £426

105.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$1,207 £906

132.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,092 £819

97.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,077 £3,809

32.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,805 £2,854

23.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$2,454 £1,841

44.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.07

-5.92%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Perth: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Perth

$568 25.6% 51.3% $599

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Perth

$663 29.9% 71.4% $276

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Perth

$349 15.7% 2.8% $10

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Perth

$275 12.4% 17.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Perth

$156 7% 2.1% $3.3

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Perth

$131 5.9% 5.3% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Perth

$75 3.4% 2.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $691 in Perth. 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 45% 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 $80.0 in Perth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $275 – making Perth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Perth

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

46,660

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Perth 51 km

From you

Edinburgh
Perth

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 Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,324 in Perth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perth, 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 $80.0 in Perth. 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 $2,216 in Perth. That's a gap of about 17%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Perth, where all-in costs run around $2,216, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Perth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perth – 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 Perth. 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.