Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and St. Andrews

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Andrews: $2,285 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
Learn more

Edinburgh Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
Learn more

St. Andrews Living Index

Jump to prices

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in St. Andrews

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,285 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
St. Andrews $2,285

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,891 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
St. Andrews $3,891

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $5,496 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
St. Andrews $5,496

Edinburgh costs about 14% more than St. Andrews, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and St. Andrews sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, St. Andrews by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$21.15 £15.87

11.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$87.9 £65.9

23.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$10.51 £7.89

1.90%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.61 £3.46

13.88%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.84 £2.13

-12.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$2.10 £1.57

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.76 £5.07

17.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$6.76 £5.07

18.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.51 £1.13

11.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.71 £1.28

37.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$2.03 £1.52

16.26%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$4.49 £3.37

10.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$7.37 £5.53

24.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$9.65 £7.24

-3.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$15.41 £11.56

2.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.50 £1.88

20.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.33 £1.00

41.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.76 £2.07

23.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$2.86 £2.15

28.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.69 £1.27

18.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.52 £1.14

1.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.20 £0.90

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$2.46 £1.85

-21.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$22.57 £16.93

2.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$10.86 £8.15

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$2.70 £2.03

15.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.98 £2.24

9.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$4.79 £3.59

-34.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$4.05 £3.04

34.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

$2.44 £1.83

-25.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$23.73 £17.80

19.34%

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 £28.7K

0.65%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$41.2K £30.9K

-3.20%

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

$328 £246

$243 £182

35.25%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$13.40 £10.06

22.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$41.64 £31.24

1.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$91.6 £68.7

-51.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$13.06 £9.80

10.18%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,806 £1,355

-1.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

$22.8K £17.1K

12.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$95.6 £71.7

-15.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$48.97 £36.74

0.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$104 £77.8

4.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$88.5 £66.4

29.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,366 £1,025

17.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,055 £792

10.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$3,104 £2,329

-9.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$2,743 £2,058

-21.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$6,137 £4,604

9.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$2,718 £2,039

73.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$3,397 £2,548

4.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.41

-11.83%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for St. Andrews: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

St. Andrews

$1.1K 46.2% 9.6% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

St. Andrews

$298 13% 23.1% $89

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

St. Andrews

$323 14.1% 9.9% $36

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

St. Andrews

$304 13.3% 8.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

St. Andrews

$152 6.6% 4.6% $7.3

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.6% 71.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

St. Andrews

$118 5.2% 60.8% $44

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 $1,366 in St. Andrews. 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 $88.0 in St. Andrews. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $304 – making St. Andrews the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

16,460

💱 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 St. Andrews 49 km

From you

Edinburgh
St. Andrews

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 St. Andrews: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 14%, 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 $3,428 in St. Andrews. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St. Andrews, 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 $2,285 in St. Andrews. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $1,775 per month in Edinburgh and $1,806 in St. Andrews. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Andrews, where all-in costs run around $2,285, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In St. Andrews it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St. Andrews – 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 St. Andrews. 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.