Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Retford

For one person, living is cheaper in Retford: $2,255 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Retford
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Retford Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Retford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Retford

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,255 in Retford, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Retford $2,255

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,343 in Retford, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Retford $3,343

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,432 in Retford, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Retford $4,432

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

Both Edinburgh and Retford sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Retford by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$14.72 £11.04

60.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$66.5 £49.87

63.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$7.14 £5.36

50.00%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$3.88 £2.91

35.31%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$1.75 £1.31

41.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.78 £1.33

21.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.30 £3.22

84.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$4.34 £3.26

84.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.72 £1.29

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.83 £1.38

28.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$1.64 £1.23

43.90%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$4.66 £3.50

6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$11.18 £8.39

-17.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$10.16 £7.62

-8.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$12.50 £9.38

26.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.09 £1.56

44.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.80 £1.35

4.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$1.76 £1.32

94.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$1.74 £1.31

110.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.48 £1.11

35.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.58 £1.19

-1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$0.42 £0.31

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.56 £1.17

23.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$23.33 £17.50

-0.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$7.77 £5.83

44.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$1.70 £1.27

83.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.04 £1.53

60.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.65 £2.74

-13.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$108 £80.7

-9.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$4.93 £3.70

10.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$3.91 £2.93

-53.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$28.85 £21.64

-1.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.09 £1.57

-0.48%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$40.1K £30.1K

-3.93%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$44.2K £33.2K

-9.83%

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

$328 £246

$342 £257

-4.02%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$27.87 £20.91

-40.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$46.53 £34.91

-9.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$52.7 £39.53

-15.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$11.50 £8.62

25.13%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,926 £1,445

-7.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$23.9K £17.9K

7.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$85.1 £63.9

-4.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$60.8 £45.59

-19.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$109 £81.4

-0.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$161 £121

-28.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,398 £1,049

14.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$924 £693

26.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,099 £1,575

33.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,675 £1,257

28.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,059 £3,796

32.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,851 £2,889

22.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$1,711 £1,283

108.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.3

-10.00%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Retford: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Retford

$924 41% 20.9% $244

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Retford

$416 18.5% 7.6% $29

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Retford

$230 10.2% 35.9% $129

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Retford

$276 12.2% 16.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Retford

$187 8.3% 17.7% $28

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Retford

$147 6.5% 18.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Retford

$76 3.4% 3.4% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,398 in Retford. 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 108% 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 $66.0 in Retford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $276 – making Retford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Retford

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

22,023

💱 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

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Between locations

Edinburgh Retford 330 km

From you

Edinburgh
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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 Retford: 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 $3,383 in Retford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Retford, 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 $66.0 in Retford. 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 $2,255 in Retford. That's a gap of about 15%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Retford, where all-in costs run around $2,255, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Retford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Retford – 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 Retford. 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.