Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Portsmouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $2,765 in Portsmouth, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portsmouth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth
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Portsmouth Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Portsmouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,765

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Portsmouth

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,765 in Portsmouth, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Portsmouth $2,765

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,781 in Portsmouth, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Portsmouth $3,781

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,798 in Portsmouth, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Portsmouth $4,798

Edinburgh is about 4% cheaper than Portsmouth.

Both Edinburgh and Portsmouth sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Portsmouth by 103%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.19

$20.08 £15.00

21.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$66.5 £49.64

58.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.82

$10.54 £7.87

-0.66%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.78 £3.57

5.02%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.74 £2.05

-12.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$2.31 £1.73

-5.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$6.28 £4.69

28.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$5.85 £4.37

35.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.39 £1.04

25.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.61 £1.20

44.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$3.67 £2.74

-35.97%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$3.46 £2.58

48.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$13.49 £10.07

-32.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$8.16 £6.09

13.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$13.18 £9.85

22.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$3.89 £2.91

-21.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.93 £1.45

-3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.92 £2.18

14.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$3.38 £2.52

10.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.67 £1.25

22.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.67 £1.25

-8.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.21 £0.90

9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.47 £1.10

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.83

$22.69 £16.95

5.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.19

$11.13 £8.32

-1.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$3.13 £2.34

0.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$2.16 £1.61

49.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.94 £2.94

-20.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.6

$86.3 £64.5

15.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$5.31 £3.97

2.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.54 £1.15

23.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.29

$19.93 £14.89

43.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.09 £1.56

-1.44%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.5K £28.8K

-0.73%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$41.1K £30.7K

-3.32%

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

$329 £246

$661 £494

-50.18%

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

$16.81 £12.56

$15.19 £11.35

10.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.22

$43.05 £32.16

0.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.26

$34.53 £25.80

21.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.43

$17.24 £12.88

35.32%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.96

$10.80 £8.07

35.83%

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

$1,901 £1,420

$1,602 £1,197

18.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.3K

$20.0K £15.0K

28.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$91.2 £68.1

-9.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.36

$39.80 £29.74

25.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.0

$100 £75.0

5.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.1

$119 £89.2

-3.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$1,493 £1,115

13.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$1,092 £816

10.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,211

$2,146 £1,603

37.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,632

$1,669 £1,247

30.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,772

$4,574 £3,417

39.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,372

$3,680 £2,749

22.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,713

$3,397 £2,537

6.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.16

-7.56%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Portsmouth

$1.1K 39.5% 9.4% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Portsmouth

$719 26% 84.8% $330

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Portsmouth

$313 11.3% 13.3% $48

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Portsmouth

$312 11.3% 6.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Portsmouth

$158 5.7% 0.7% $1

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Portsmouth

$115 4.2% 9.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Portsmouth

$56 2% 21.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,493 in Portsmouth. 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 7% higher in Edinburgh, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $66 in Portsmouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $312 – making Portsmouth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Portsmouth

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

198,974

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Portsmouth 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $4,147 in Portsmouth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portsmouth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,493 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh and $66 in Portsmouth. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,765 in Portsmouth. That makes Edinburgh about 4% cheaper.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,765 in Portsmouth. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Edinburgh costs $2,645 versus $2,765 in Portsmouth. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.