Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Rochester

For one person, living is cheaper in Rochester: $2,132 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Rochester
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Rochester Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Rochester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,132

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Rochester

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,132 in Rochester, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Rochester $2,132

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,270 in Rochester, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Rochester $3,270

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,408 in Rochester, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Rochester $4,408

Edinburgh costs about 22% more than Rochester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and Rochester sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Rochester by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$25.66 £19.25

-7.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$95.2 £71.4

13.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.06 £7.55

6.46%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.99 £3.74

5.21%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.35 £1.76

5.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$2.38 £1.79

-8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.21 £3.91

52.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$4.68 £3.51

70.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.81 £1.36

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$2.02 £1.52

16.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.12 £1.59

11.32%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.55 £2.66

39.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$6.21 £4.66

48.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$7.46 £5.60

25.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$14.78 £11.09

6.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.78 £2.09

8.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.90 £1.42

-1.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.30 £1.72

48.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.29 £2.47

11.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.94 £1.45

3.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.20 £0.90

29.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.20 £0.90

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.73 £1.30

11.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$24.04 £18.04

-3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.67 £8.01

4.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.06 £2.30

1.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.15 £2.36

3.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$4.10 £3.07

-23.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$5.09 £3.82

6.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.67 £2.00

-31.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$39.41 £29.57

-28.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.12 £1.59

-1.89%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.0K £28.5K

1.43%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.3K £30.2K

-1.11%

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

$328 £246

$230 £173

42.42%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$16.51 £12.39

-0.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$36.34 £27.27

16.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$39.16 £29.38

13.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$17.33 £13.00

-16.96%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,310 £983

35.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$30.8K £23.1K

-16.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$91.7 £68.8

-11.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$46.03 £34.53

6.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$103 £77.6

4.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$91.3 £68.5

25.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,536 £1,152

4.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$952 £714

22.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$2,079 £1,560

34.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,695 £1,271

27.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,339 £4,005

25.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$4,521 £3,392

4.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$3,403 £2,553

4.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.12

-6.84%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Rochester: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Rochester

$952 44.7% 18.5% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Rochester

$283 13.3% 26.8% $104

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Rochester

$350 16.4% 2.5% $9

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Rochester

$289 13.6% 12.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Rochester

$150 7% 5.8% $9.3

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Rochester

$35 * 1.6% 71.9% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Rochester

$74 3.5% 0.8% $0.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,536 in Rochester. 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 5% 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 $95.0 in Rochester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $289 – making Rochester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Rochester

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

62,982

💱 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 Rochester 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Rochester

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 Rochester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,198 in Rochester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rochester, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,601 in Edinburgh and $2,132 in Rochester. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $1,775 per month in Edinburgh and $1,310 in Rochester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rochester, where all-in costs run around $2,132, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Rochester it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rochester – 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 Rochester. 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.