Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Scunthorpe

For one person, living is cheaper in Scunthorpe: $2,096 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Scunthorpe
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Scunthorpe Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Scunthorpe

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,096

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Scunthorpe

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,096 in Scunthorpe, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Scunthorpe $2,096

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,819 in Scunthorpe, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Scunthorpe $2,819

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,541 in Scunthorpe, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Scunthorpe $3,541

Edinburgh costs about 24% more than Scunthorpe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Scunthorpe sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Scunthorpe by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$13.09 £9.82

80.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$89.2 £66.9

21.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.45 £7.84

2.49%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.03 £3.03

30.27%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$1.93 £1.44

28.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.22 £0.92

77.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.18 £3.89

53.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.69 £5.02

19.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.46 £1.09

15.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.58 £1.18

48.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$1.55 £1.16

52.26%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$3.75 £2.81

32.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$5.36 £4.02

71.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$5.19 £3.89

79.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$7.17 £5.38

120.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.28 £1.71

32.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.42 £1.81

41.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$4.73 £3.55

-22.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$0.84 £0.63

139.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$0.91 £0.69

70.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.02 £0.77

29.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.39 £1.04

38.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$17.81 £13.36

30.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$8.22 £6.17

36.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.94 £2.95

-20.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$4.70 £3.52

-30.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.64 £2.73

-13.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$96.4 £72.3

0.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$4.49 £3.37

20.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.72 £2.04

-33.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$8.01 £6.01

253.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.10 £1.58

-0.95%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$38.3K £28.8K

0.60%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.8K £30.6K

-2.28%

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

$328 £246

$202 £151

62.60%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$16.90 £12.68

-2.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$45.68 £34.27

-7.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$95.1 £71.3

-53.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$8.73 £6.55

64.83%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,643 £1,232

8.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$16.4K £12.3K

56.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$39.68 £29.77

104.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$20.18 £15.14

143.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$77.2 £57.9

40.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$78.1 £58.6

46.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,216 £912

31.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,015 £762

14.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$1,284 £963

118.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,095 £821

96.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$5,464 £4,099

22.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$4,050 £3,039

16.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$1,942 £1,457

83.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.61

-14.97%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Scunthorpe: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Scunthorpe

$1K 48.4% 13% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Scunthorpe

$264 12.6% 31.7% $123

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Scunthorpe

$236 11.3% 34.1% $122

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Scunthorpe

$242 11.5% 27.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Scunthorpe

$97 4.6% 39% $62

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Scunthorpe

$129 6.2% 4% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Scunthorpe

$113 5.4% 53.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Edinburgh versus $1,216 in Scunthorpe. 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 83% 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 $89.0 in Scunthorpe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $242 – making Scunthorpe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Scunthorpe

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

81,576

💱 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

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Edinburgh Scunthorpe 310 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 Scunthorpe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 24%, 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 $3,144 in Scunthorpe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Scunthorpe, 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 $89.0 in Scunthorpe. 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 $2,096 in Scunthorpe. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Scunthorpe, where all-in costs run around $2,096, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Scunthorpe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Scunthorpe – 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 Scunthorpe. 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.