Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Salford

For one person, living is cheaper in Salford: $2,357 a month against $2,724 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Salford
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Salford Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,724

/mo nomad

Salford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,357

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Salford

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

A single person spends $2,724 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,357 in Salford, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,724
Salford $2,357

A couple spends around $4,109 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,443 in Salford, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,109
Salford $3,443

A family of three spends $5,494 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,529 in Salford, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,494
Salford $4,529

Edinburgh costs about 16% more than Salford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Salford sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 101%, Salford by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.24 £18.02

$17.15 £12.74

41.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £80.4

$109 £80.8

-0.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.93

$12.69 £9.43

-15.92%

Cappuccino

$5.10 £3.79

$4.09 £3.04

24.69%

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

$2.48 £1.85

$1.76 £1.31

40.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.66

$1.29 £0.96

73.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.81

$5.85 £4.35

33.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 £6.05

$4.06 £3.02

100.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.78 £1.32

-2.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 £1.73

$1.99 £1.48

16.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.74

$2.18 £1.62

7.34%

Eggs

$4.90 £3.64

$4.32 £3.21

13.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £6.96

$4.32 £3.21

116.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 £7.15

$10.33 £7.68

-6.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 £11.75

$14.28 £10.61

10.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.30

$4.30 £3.19

-28.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.44 £1.07

32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 £2.43

$1.96 £1.46

66.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.66

$3.39 £2.52

5.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.53 £1.14

30.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.97 £1.46

-20.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.96

$0.90 £0.67

43.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.51 £1.12

27.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 £17.95

$23.76 £17.65

1.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.04

$11.49 £8.54

-5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.36

$3.05 £2.26

4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.43

$2.92 £2.17

11.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 £2.44

$2.74 £2.03

20.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £74.9

$105 £78.1

-4.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.93

$4.74 £3.52

11.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.80

$2.01 £1.49

20.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.91 £34.86

$36.56 £27.17

28.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.91 £1.42

15.71%

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

$38.5K £28.6K

$39.1K £29.1K

-1.62%

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

$40.5K £30.1K

0.05%

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

$335 £249

$383 £285

-12.62%

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

$16.31 £12.12

$20.31 £15.09

-19.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.88 £30.38

$20.36 £15.13

100.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 £31.55

$38.33 £28.49

10.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.02 £17.85

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 £11.16

$18.44 £13.71

-18.55%

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

$1,869 £1,389

$1,891 £1,406

-1.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K £19.3K

$25.0K £18.6K

4.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 £62.3

$67.8 £50.4

23.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.78 £35.51

$46.31 £34.42

3.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.5

$68.0 £50.5

59.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.5

$81.4 £60.5

46.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 £1,243

$1,310 £974

27.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 £946

$1,035 £769

23.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 £2,238

$2,095 £1,557

43.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 £1,670

$1,617 £1,202

38.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,479 £4,815

$5,912 £4,393

9.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,429 £3,291

$3,423 £2,544

29.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,796 £2,821

$4,643 £3,450

-18.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.54

-13.90%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Salford: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.3K 46.7%

Salford

$1K 43.9% 18.7% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$392 14.4%

Salford

$424 18% 8.1% $32

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.3%

Salford

$274 11.6% 24.2% $87

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.2%

Salford

$300 12.7% 9.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$162 5.9%

Salford

$119 5% 26.6% $43

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$131 4.8%

Salford

$131 5.6% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$72 2.7%

Salford

$75 3.2% 3.8% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,673 in Edinburgh versus $1,310 in Salford. 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 22% higher in Salford, 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 $109 in Salford. Groceries tell a different story – $333 in Edinburgh vs $300 in Salford – so Salford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Salford

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

258,834

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Edinburgh Salford 280 km

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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 Salford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,086 per month in Edinburgh and $3,536 in Salford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salford, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,310 there versus $1,673 in Edinburgh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,724 in Edinburgh and $2,357 in Salford. That makes Salford about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,869 per month in Edinburgh and $1,891 in Salford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,724 in Edinburgh and $2,357 in Salford. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Edinburgh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,357 in Salford to $2,724 in Edinburgh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.