Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Romford

For one person, living costs are similar in Edinburgh and in Romford: $2,601 and $2,706 a month, rent and utilities included.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Romford
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Romford Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Romford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Romford

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,706 in Romford, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Romford $2,706

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,122 in Romford, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Romford $4,122

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,538 in Romford, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Romford $5,538

Edinburgh is about 4% cheaper than Romford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Edinburgh and Romford sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Romford by 100%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$23.90 £17.93

-0.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$108 £81.3

0.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.75 £8.07

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.88 £3.66

7.58%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.68 £2.01

-7.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.85 £1.39

17.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$7.62 £5.72

4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.78 £5.09

17.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.83 £1.37

-7.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.74 £1.30

35.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.62 £1.96

-9.92%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$4.88 £3.66

1.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$9.51 £7.13

-3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$9.56 £7.17

-2.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$16.02 £12.02

-1.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.03 £2.28

-0.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.37 £1.03

37.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$3.24 £2.43

5.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.55 £2.66

3.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.66 £1.25

21.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.82 £1.37

-14.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.25 £0.93

5.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.80 £1.35

7.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$23.41 £17.56

-0.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$13.22 £9.92

-15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.21 £2.41

-2.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$4.14 £3.11

-21.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$4.58 £3.43

-31.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$97.1 £72.8

-0.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$5.51 £4.13

-1.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.59 £1.94

-29.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$25.48 £19.11

11.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.9K £29.2K

-0.93%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.4K £30.3K

-1.28%

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

$328 £246

$381 £286

-13.88%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$18.84 £14.13

-12.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$43.29 £32.48

-2.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$50.6 £37.94

-12.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$17.03 £12.78

-15.50%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$2,581 £1,936

-31.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$35.1K £26.4K

-27.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$90.0 £67.6

-9.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$46.87 £35.16

4.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$91.7 £68.8

18.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$130 £97.3

-11.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,852 £1,389

-13.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,201 £901

-2.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$3,269 £2,452

-14.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$2,259 £1,695

-4.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,605 £4,205

19.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$3,693 £2,770

27.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$2,863 £2,148

24.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

-4.60%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Romford: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Romford

$1.2K 44.4% 2.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Romford

$443 16.4% 14.5% $56

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Romford

$352 13% 1.9% $6.9

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Romford

$330 12.2% 0.5% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Romford

$161 6% 1.5% $2.4

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Romford

$134 5% 7.8% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Romford

$85 3.1% 15.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,852 in Romford. 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 24% 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 $108 in Edinburgh versus $108 in Romford. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Edinburgh vs $330 in Romford – so Romford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Romford

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

95,894

💱 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 Romford 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Romford

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 Romford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Romford is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $4,059 in Romford. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh and $108 in Romford. 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 $2,706 in Romford. That's a gap of about 4%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,601 in Edinburgh and $2,706 in Romford. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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, Romford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.