Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and St Helens

For one person, living is cheaper in St Helens: $1,993 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
97

Cost of Living Index in St Helens
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St Helens Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

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St Helens

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,993

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in St Helens

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Edinburgh vs $1,993 in St Helens, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,617
St Helens $1,993

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,045 in St Helens, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,956
St Helens $3,045

A family of three spends $5,295 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,098 in St Helens, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,295
St Helens $4,098

Edinburgh costs about 31% more than St Helens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edinburgh and St Helens sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, St Helens by 48%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$26.90 £20.18

-12.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$78.6 £59.0

32.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$4.08 £3.06

24.51%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$2.37 £1.78

5.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.99 £1.50

8.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$5.36 £4.02

50.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$4.54 £3.41

79.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.34 £1.01

25.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.77 £1.33

29.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$1.94 £1.46

15.98%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$4.01 £3.01

25.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$9.00 £6.75

0.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$8.28 £6.21

14.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$10.66 £7.99

51.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.25 £2.44

-6.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.30 £0.97

48.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.03 £2.27

10.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$3.45 £2.59

6.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.15 £0.86

80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.83 £1.37

-15.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.30 £0.98

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.30 £0.98

49.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$19.59 £14.70

20.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$9.96 £7.47

11.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.86 £2.14

12.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$2.61 £1.95

22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.65 £1.99

20.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

$100 £75.1

-3.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$3.37 £2.53

53.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.07 £1.56

-10.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

$15.82 £11.87

81.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.94 £1.46

10.31%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$26.4K £19.8K

46.31%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$33.6K £25.2K

22.35%

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

$330 £248

$365 £274

-9.48%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$17.20 £12.91

-4.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$43.87 £32.91

-3.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$26.94 £20.21

63.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

$3.85 £2.89

498.44%

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$13.42 £10.07

6.56%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$805 £604

118.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$6,625 £4,971

282.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$65.0 £48.78

23.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$39.08 £29.32

26.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$72.3 £54.3

45.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$109 £81.7

5.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$797 £598

102.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$636 £477

86.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$1,503 £1,128

82.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$1,257 £943

67.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

$3,315 £2,487

100.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

$2,308 £1,731

99.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

$1,863 £1,398

89.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.21

-8.45%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for St Helens: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

St Helens

$636 31.9% 46.3% $549

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

St Helens

$426 21.4% 9.5% $37

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

St Helens

$349 17.5% 2.2% $7.7

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

St Helens

$276 13.9% 17% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

St Helens

$128 6.4% 18.5% $29

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

St Helens

$124 6.2% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

St Helens

$54 2.7% 26.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Edinburgh versus $797 in St Helens. 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 89% 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 $104 in Edinburgh versus $79.0 in St Helens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $276 – making St Helens the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 St Helens

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

183,200

💱 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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Between locations

Edinburgh St Helens 280 km

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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 Helens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,925 per month in Edinburgh and $2,989 in St Helens. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St Helens, 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 $104 in Edinburgh and $79.0 in St Helens. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,617 in Edinburgh and $1,993 in St Helens. That's a gap of about 31%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in St Helens, where all-in costs run around $1,993, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In St Helens it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St Helens – 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 Helens. 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.