Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Wakefield, United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakefield: $2,026 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Wakefield
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Wakefield Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Wakefield

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Wakefield

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,026 in Wakefield, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Wakefield $2,026

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,215 in Wakefield, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Wakefield $3,215

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,405 in Wakefield, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Wakefield $4,405

Edinburgh costs about 31% more than Wakefield, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Wakefield sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Wakefield by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.19

$19.79 £14.78

23.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$82.1 £61.4

28.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.82

$9.87 £7.38

6.08%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$4.41 £3.30

13.83%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$2.34 £1.75

2.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.33 £0.99

64.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$6.10 £4.56

31.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$5.22 £3.90

51.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.49 £1.11

17.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$1.92 £1.43

21.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.61 £1.95

-9.96%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$4.20 £3.14

22.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$7.88 £5.89

14.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$8.27 £6.18

11.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$13.78 £10.30

17.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$2.97 £2.22

2.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.43 £1.07

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.65 £1.98

26.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$2.98 £2.22

25.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.75 £1.31

17.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.64 £1.22

-6.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.19 £0.89

11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.40 £1.05

35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.83

$22.91 £17.12

4.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.19

$10.70 £7.99

2.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$3.31 £2.47

-4.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.33 £2.49

-3.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.40 £2.54

-7.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.6

$106 £78.8

-5.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.43 £1.07

32.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.29

$15.75 £11.76

80.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.09 £1.56

-1.44%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.6K £28.9K

-1.03%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$40.4K £30.1K

-1.58%

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

$329 £246

$351 £262

-6.18%

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

$16.81 £12.56

$15.63 £11.68

7.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.22

$42.67 £31.88

1.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.26

$35.67 £26.64

17.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.43

$27.03 £20.19

-13.69%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.96

$14.07 £10.51

4.26%

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

$1,901 £1,420

$1,584 £1,183

20.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.3K

$24.2K £18.1K

6.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$86.9 £64.9

-5.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.36

$54.2 £40.47

-7.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.0

$93.2 £69.6

13.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.1

$90.1 £67.3

27.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$1,011 £755

67.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$687 £514

75.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,211

$2,118 £1,582

39.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,632

$1,552 £1,160

40.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,772

$3,991 £2,981

60.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,372

$2,665 £1,991

69.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,713

$2,512 £1,876

44.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wakefield: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Wakefield

$687 33.9% 43% $518

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Wakefield

$409 20.2% 5.2% $20

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Wakefield

$296 14.6% 17.8% $64

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Wakefield

$291 14.4% 12.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Wakefield

$146 7.2% 8.1% $13

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Wakefield

$132 6.5% 3.5% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Wakefield

$64 3.2% 10.3% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $1,011 in Wakefield. 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 45% higher in Edinburgh. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $82 in Wakefield. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $291 – making Wakefield the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Wakefield

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

322,300

💱 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

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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 Wakefield: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $3,039 in Wakefield. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wakefield, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,011 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh and $82 in Wakefield. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $2,026 in Wakefield. That makes Wakefield about 23% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Wakefield, where all-in costs run around $2,026, than in Edinburgh at $2,645. In Wakefield it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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