Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Plymouth

For one person, living costs are similar in Edinburgh and in Plymouth: $2,601 and $2,602 a month, rent and utilities included.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Plymouth
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Plymouth Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Plymouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Plymouth

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,602 in Plymouth, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Plymouth $2,602

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,589 in Plymouth, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Plymouth $3,589

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,576 in Plymouth, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Plymouth $4,576

Edinburgh and Plymouth have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$22.12 £16.59

7.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$82.4 £61.8

31.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.75 £8.06

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$5.02 £3.77

4.58%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.10 £1.57

18.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.71 £1.28

26.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.28 £4.71

26.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.09 £4.57

31.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.47 £1.10

14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.23 £0.92

91.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$3.02 £2.26

-21.85%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.88 £2.91

27.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$10.24 £7.68

-10.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$8.51 £6.39

9.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$13.56 £10.18

16.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.04 £1.53

47.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.44 £1.08

30.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$4.06 £3.05

-15.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.96 £2.97

-7.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.90 £1.42

5.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.41 £1.06

9.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.75 £1.31

-24.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.47 £1.10

31.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$24.20 £18.15

-4.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$7.19 £5.39

55.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.08 £2.31

1.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$4.69 £3.52

-30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.88 £2.91

-19.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$134 £100

-27.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$6.57 £4.93

-17.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.47 £1.85

-26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.01 £1.51

3.48%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.7K £29.0K

-0.31%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.6K £30.4K

-1.76%

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

$328 £246

$463 £347

-29.06%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$32.48 £24.37

-49.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$63.2 £47.39

-33.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$43.55 £32.68

1.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

$17.83 £13.37

29.28%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$11.52 £8.64

24.91%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$2,692 £2,019

-34.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$28.1K £21.1K

-8.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$84.1 £63.1

-3.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$57.1 £42.86

-14.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$93.6 £70.2

15.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$80.7 £60.5

41.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,044 £783

53.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,043 £782

11.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,243 £1,683

24.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,415 £1,062

52.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$4,882 £3,662

37.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,369 £2,528

39.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$3,046 £2,285

16.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.64

-15.43%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Plymouth: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Plymouth

$1K 40.1% 10.7% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Plymouth

$558 21.5% 44.3% $171

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Plymouth

$328 12.6% 8.5% $30

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Plymouth

$296 11.4% 10.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Plymouth

$142 5.5% 10.6% $17

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Plymouth

$168 6.5% 35.3% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Plymouth

$67 2.6% 9% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,044 in Plymouth. 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 17% higher in Edinburgh. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh versus $82.0 in Plymouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $296 – making Plymouth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Plymouth

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

264,695

💱 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 Plymouth 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Plymouth

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 Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,903 in Plymouth. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Plymouth – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Kindergarten costs $1,775 per month in Edinburgh and $2,692 in Plymouth. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Edinburgh, where all-in costs run around $2,601, than in Plymouth at $2,602. In Edinburgh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plymouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 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 Edinburgh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Plymouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.