Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Stratford upon Avon

For one person, living is cheaper in Stratford upon Avon: $2,064 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Edinburgh
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,601
/mo nomad
Stratford upon Avon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,064
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Stratford upon Avon

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 Stratford upon Avon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,064 in Stratford upon Avon, rent included.

  • Edinburgh $2,601
  • Stratford upon Avon $2,064

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,090 in Stratford upon Avon, rent included.

  • Edinburgh $3,985
  • Stratford upon Avon $3,090

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,116 in Stratford upon Avon, rent included.

  • Edinburgh $5,369
  • Stratford upon Avon $4,116

Edinburgh costs about 26% more than Stratford upon Avon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and Stratford upon Avon sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Stratford upon Avon by 52%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Edinburgh
Stratford upon Avon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.67 £17.76
$20.18 £15.14
17.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 £81.4
$80.0 £60.0
35.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.04
$10.70 £8.03
0.09%
Cappuccino
$5.25 £3.94
$4.52 £3.39
16.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 £1.86
$2.14 £1.61
15.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 £1.63
$1.54 £1.15
40.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.94 £5.96
$6.50 £4.87
22.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.00 £6.00
$4.62 £3.46
73.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Edinburgh
Stratford upon Avon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 £1.27
$1.66 £1.24
1.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.35 £1.77
$1.89 £1.42
24.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.36 £1.77
$2.33 £1.75
1.29%
Eggs
$4.96 £3.72
$4.47 £3.35
10.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.20 £6.91
$11.75 £8.82
-21.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 £7.00
$10.01 £7.51
-6.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.79 £11.85
$17.06 £12.80
-7.44%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 £2.26
$4.35 £3.26
-30.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.88 £1.41
$1.43 £1.08
31.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.42 £2.57
$1.87 £1.40
82.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.67 £2.75
$3.53 £2.65
3.97%
Potato (1kg)
$2.01 £1.51
$1.55 £1.16
29.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.55 £1.16
$1.72 £1.29
-9.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 £0.99
$1.33 £1.00
-0.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 £1.45
$1.48 £1.11
30.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.23 £17.43
$23.87 £17.91
-2.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.20 £8.40
$10.83 £8.12
3.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.12 £2.34
$3.10 £2.33
0.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 £2.46
$2.32 £1.74
40.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Edinburgh
Stratford upon Avon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 £2.35
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.0 £72.8
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.43 £4.08
$4.69 £3.52
15.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.82 £1.37
$1.60 £1.20
13.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.32 £21.25
$39.37 £29.53
-28.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 £1.56
$2.01 £1.51
3.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K £28.9K
$37.9K £28.4K
1.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K £29.9K
$40.3K £30.2K
-1.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edinburgh
Stratford upon Avon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$328 £246
$204 £153
61.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.47 £12.36
$16.03 £12.03
2.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.32 £31.75
$46.83 £35.13
-9.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Edinburgh
Stratford upon Avon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.41 £33.32
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.05 £17.30
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.39 £10.79
$14.67 £11.01
-1.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Edinburgh
Stratford upon Avon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,775 £1,331
$1,340 £1,005
32.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K £19.2K
$22.1K £16.6K
15.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Edinburgh
Stratford upon Avon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$81.2 £60.9
$67.6 £50.7
20.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.04 £36.79
$31.27 £23.46
56.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 £81.2
$73.3 £55.0
47.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 £85.9
$78.8 £59.1
45.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Edinburgh
Stratford upon Avon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,600 £1,200
$1,241 £931
28.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,168 £876
$1,010 £758
15.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,803 £2,103
$1,898 £1,424
47.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,155 £1,617
$1,724 £1,293
25.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,714 £5,037
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,715 £3,538
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Edinburgh
Stratford upon Avon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,558 £2,669
$3,462 £2,597
2.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.77
5.47
-12.80%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Stratford upon Avon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Edinburgh
$1.2K
Stratford upon Avon
$1K 13.5% $157
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edinburgh
$387
Stratford upon Avon
$267 31.1% $120
Eating Out
Edinburgh
$359
Stratford upon Avon
$304 15.2% $55
Groceries & Markets
Edinburgh
$332
Stratford upon Avon
$328 1.3% $4.3
Clothing & Footwear
Edinburgh
$159
Stratford upon Avon
$113 28.9% $46
Getting Around
Edinburgh
$124
Stratford upon Avon
$13 * 89.8% $111
Sport & Entertainment
Edinburgh
$73
Stratford upon Avon
$29 * 59.9% $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 $1,241 in Stratford upon Avon. 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 3% 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 $80.0 in Stratford upon Avon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $328 – making Stratford upon Avon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Edinburgh
🇬🇧 Stratford upon Avon
🕒 Local time
17:31 5:31 PM
17:31 5:31 PM
Same time as Edinburgh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
488,050
30,495
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Edinburgh Stratford upon Avon 430 km
From you
  • Edinburgh
  • Stratford upon Avon

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 Stratford upon Avon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Stratford upon Avon cheaper than Edinburgh?
Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,902 per month in Edinburgh and $3,095 in Stratford upon Avon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Stratford upon Avon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Edinburgh and in Stratford upon Avon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,601 in Edinburgh and $2,064 in Stratford upon Avon. That's a gap of about 26%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,775 per month in Edinburgh and $1,340 in Stratford upon Avon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Edinburgh or in Stratford upon Avon?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Stratford upon Avon, where all-in costs run around $2,064, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Stratford upon Avon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Edinburgh or Stratford upon Avon more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Stratford upon Avon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Edinburgh or Stratford upon Avon?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Stratford upon Avon. 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.

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