Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Stafford

For one person, living is cheaper in Stafford: $2,238 a month against $2,724 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Stafford
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Stafford Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,724

/mo nomad

Stafford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,238

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Stafford

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

A single person spends $2,724 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,238 in Stafford, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,724
Stafford $2,238

A couple spends around $4,109 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,350 in Stafford, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,109
Stafford $3,350

A family of three spends $5,494 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,461 in Stafford, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,494
Stafford $4,461

Edinburgh costs about 22% more than Stafford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Stafford sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 101%, Stafford by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.24 £18.05

$21.50 £16.01

12.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £80.6

$75.0 £55.8

44.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.94

$10.54 £7.85

1.23%

Cappuccino

$5.10 £3.79

$4.71 £3.51

8.28%

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

$2.48 £1.85

$2.07 £1.54

19.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.66

$1.75 £1.31

28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.82

$6.65 £4.95

17.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 £6.06

$5.21 £3.88

56.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.80 £1.34

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 £1.73

$1.55 £1.16

49.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.74

$2.10 £1.56

11.43%

Eggs

$4.90 £3.65

$3.56 £2.65

37.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £6.97

$10.25 £7.63

-8.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 £7.16

$9.07 £6.75

6.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 £11.77

$12.79 £9.52

23.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.30

$2.89 £2.15

6.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.75 £1.30

9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 £2.44

$3.67 £2.73

-10.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.66

$3.43 £2.56

4.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.48

$2.07 £1.54

-3.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.81 £1.35

-13.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.96

$1.18 £0.88

9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.66 £1.24

16.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 £17.98

$21.78 £16.21

10.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.05

$9.50 £7.07

13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.37

$3.39 £2.52

-6.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.44

$3.87 £2.88

-15.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 £2.45

$4.73 £3.52

-30.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £75.0

$92.5 £68.8

8.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.94

$2.75 £2.05

92.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.81

$1.36 £1.01

78.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.91 £34.92

$25.75 £19.17

82.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$2.10 £1.56

5.24%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$38.4K £28.6K

0.28%

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

$40.5K £30.1K

$40.7K £30.3K

-0.49%

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

$335 £249

$294 £219

13.90%

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

$16.31 £12.14

$20.19 £15.03

-19.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.88 £30.43

$42.52 £31.65

-3.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 £31.60

$40.64 £30.25

4.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.02 £17.88

$19.57 £14.56

22.74%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 £11.18

$15.81 £11.77

-5.00%

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

$1,869 £1,392

$1,250 £931

49.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K £19.4K

$7,719 £5,746

237.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 £62.4

$75.5 £56.2

11.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.78 £35.57

$47.03 £35.01

1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.6

$84.7 £63.1

27.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.7

$98.2 £73.1

21.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 £1,245

$1,149 £855

45.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 £947

$926 £689

37.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 £2,242

$1,596 £1,188

88.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 £1,672

$1,639 £1,220

37.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,479 £4,823

$3,986 £2,967

62.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,429 £3,297

$3,330 £2,479

32.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,796 £2,826

$2,998 £2,232

26.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.37

-11.17%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Stafford: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.3K 46.7%

Stafford

$926 41.4% 27.2% $347

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$392 14.4%

Stafford

$357 15.9% 9% $35

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.3%

Stafford

$319 14.3% 11.7% $42

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.2%

Stafford

$306 13.7% 8.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$162 5.9%

Stafford

$137 6.1% 14.9% $24

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$131 4.8%

Stafford

$121 5.4% 7.9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$72 2.7%

Stafford

$72 3.2% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,673 in Edinburgh versus $1,149 in Stafford. 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 27% higher in Edinburgh. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh versus $75 in Stafford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $306 – making Stafford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Stafford

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

71,673

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Edinburgh Stafford 360 km

From you

Edinburgh
Stafford

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 Stafford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 22%, 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 $3,357 in Stafford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stafford, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,149 there versus $1,673 in Edinburgh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Edinburgh and $75 in Stafford. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,724 in Edinburgh and $2,238 in Stafford. That makes Stafford about 18% cheaper.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,724 in Edinburgh and $2,238 in Stafford. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Stafford – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Stafford. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Edinburgh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.