Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Tunbridge Wells

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunbridge Wells: $2,420 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Tunbridge Wells
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Tunbridge Wells Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

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Tunbridge Wells

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,420

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Tunbridge Wells

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,420 in Tunbridge Wells, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,617
Tunbridge Wells $2,420

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,577 in Tunbridge Wells, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,956
Tunbridge Wells $3,577

A family of three spends $5,295 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,733 in Tunbridge Wells, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,295
Tunbridge Wells $4,733

Edinburgh costs about 8% more than Tunbridge Wells, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edinburgh and Tunbridge Wells sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Tunbridge Wells by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$20.38 £15.29

16.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$57.1 £42.81

82.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$8.81 £6.61

18.96%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$4.59 £3.44

10.68%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$2.00 £1.50

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.28 £0.96

67.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$6.48 £4.86

24.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$4.34 £3.26

87.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.32 £0.99

27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$2.05 £1.54

11.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$1.57 £1.18

43.31%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$3.12 £2.34

61.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$5.24 £3.93

72.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$9.25 £6.94

2.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$16.10 £12.08

0.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$1.35 £1.01

125.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.29 £0.96

49.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.34 £1.00

150.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$2.71 £2.03

35.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.35 £1.01

53.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.29 £0.97

19.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.31 £0.98

-4.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.21 £0.91

60.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$22.50 £16.88

5.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$10.74 £8.06

3.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.30 £1.73

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$2.50 £1.88

27.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.29 £2.47

-2.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

$130 £97.8

-25.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$6.39 £4.79

-18.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.40 £1.80

-22.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.90 £1.43

12.63%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$38.1K £28.6K

1.44%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$40.8K £30.6K

0.86%

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

$330 £248

$285 £214

15.97%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$13.30 £9.98

23.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$34.48 £25.87

22.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$33.08 £24.82

33.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$15.77 £11.83

-9.32%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$2,036 £1,527

-13.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$29.3K £22.0K

-13.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$52.2 £39.14

54.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$53.6 £40.17

-7.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$88.7 £66.6

18.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$92.0 £69.0

24.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$1,438 £1,079

12.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$1,173 £880

0.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$2,523 £1,893

8.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$2,149 £1,612

-2.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

$3,524 £2,644

-0.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

5.4

-11.67%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tunbridge Wells: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

Tunbridge Wells

$1.2K 48.5% 1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

Tunbridge Wells

$332 13.7% 14.5% $56

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

Tunbridge Wells

$299 12.4% 16.2% $58

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

Tunbridge Wells

$260 10.8% 21.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

Tunbridge Wells

$129 5.3% 18.2% $29

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

Tunbridge Wells

$162 6.7% 30.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Tunbridge Wells

$65 2.7% 11.1% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Edinburgh versus $1,438 in Tunbridge Wells. 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 0% higher in Tunbridge Wells, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Edinburgh versus $57.0 in Tunbridge Wells. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $260 – making Tunbridge Wells the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Tunbridge Wells

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

105,000

💱 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 Tunbridge Wells 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
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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 Tunbridge Wells: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 8%, 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 $3,630 in Tunbridge Wells. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tunbridge Wells, 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 $57.0 in Tunbridge Wells. 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 $2,420 in Tunbridge Wells. That's a gap of about 8%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Tunbridge Wells, where all-in costs run around $2,420, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Tunbridge Wells it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tunbridge Wells – 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 Tunbridge Wells. 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.