Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Torquay

For one person, living is cheaper in Torquay: $2,110 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Torquay
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Torquay Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Torquay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,110

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Torquay

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

A single person spends $2,601 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,110 in Torquay, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,601
Torquay $2,110

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,051 in Torquay, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,985
Torquay $3,051

A family of three spends $5,369 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,991 in Torquay, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,369
Torquay $3,991

Edinburgh costs about 23% more than Torquay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Torquay sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 92%, Torquay by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.76

$21.61 £16.22

9.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.4

$92.4 £69.3

17.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$9.05 £6.79

18.34%

Cappuccino

$5.25 £3.94

$4.47 £3.36

17.45%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$2.78 £2.09

-10.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$2.21 £1.66

-1.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.42 £4.07

46.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £6.00

$5.19 £3.89

54.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.92 £1.44

-11.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 £1.77

$2.00 £1.50

17.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$3.19 £2.39

-26.02%

Eggs

$4.96 £3.72

$5.19 £3.89

-4.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.91

$6.81 £5.11

35.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.00

$10.81 £8.11

-13.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 £11.85

$16.43 £12.33

-3.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$0.83 £0.63

262.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$2.58 £1.93

-27.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.57

$4.93 £3.70

-30.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$5.85 £4.39

-37.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$2.12 £1.59

-5.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.75 £1.31

-11.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.86 £1.39

-29.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.98 £1.49

-2.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.43

$23.93 £17.95

-2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$11.23 £8.43

-0.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.87 £2.91

-19.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.23 £2.42

1.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.94 £2.95

-20.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 £72.8

$64.7 £48.51

50.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 £4.08

$5.82 £4.37

-6.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 £1.37

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.32 £21.25

$26.15 £19.62

8.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.03 £1.53

2.46%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$37.9K £28.5K

1.68%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$40.8K £30.6K

-2.31%

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

$328 £246

$290 £218

13.13%

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

$16.47 £12.36

$20.08 £15.07

-17.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 £31.75

$28.60 £21.45

47.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 £33.32

$33.87 £25.41

31.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

$7.96 £5.97

189.57%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$7.51 £5.64

91.61%

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

$1,775 £1,331

$1,611 £1,209

10.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K £19.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 £60.9

$82.1 £61.6

-1.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 £36.79

$23.48 £17.61

108.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.2

$65.6 £49.24

64.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £85.9

$79.2 £59.4

44.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 £1,200

$1,060 £795

50.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$858 £644

36.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 £2,103

$1,627 £1,220

72.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 £1,617

$1,187 £891

81.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

$4,190 £3,143

60.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

$2,763 £2,073

70.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

$2,479 £1,860

43.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.11

-6.65%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Torquay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9%

Torquay

$858 40.7% 26.5% $310

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$387 14.9%

Torquay

$339 16.1% 12.5% $48

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$359 13.8%

Torquay

$311 14.8% 13.2% $48

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.8%

Torquay

$354 16.8% 6.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6.1%

Torquay

$113 5.3% 29.1% $46

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.8%

Torquay

$86 * 4.1% 30.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Torquay

$49 2.3% 33.2% $24

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 $1,060 in Torquay. 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 44% 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 $92.0 in Torquay. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Edinburgh vs $354 in Torquay – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Torquay

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

65,388

💱 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 Torquay 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
Torquay

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 Torquay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 23%, 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 $3,165 in Torquay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Torquay, 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 $92.0 in Torquay. 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 $2,110 in Torquay. That's a gap of about 23%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Torquay, where all-in costs run around $2,110, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Torquay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Torquay – 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 Torquay. 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.