Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Wigan

For one person, living is cheaper in Wigan: $1,964 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
Learn more

Edinburgh Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Wigan
Learn more

Wigan Living Index

Jump to prices

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Wigan

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edinburgh and in Wigan

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Edinburgh vs $1,964 in Wigan, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,617
Wigan $1,964

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,893 in Wigan, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,956
Wigan $2,893

A family of three spends $5,295 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,823 in Wigan, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,295
Wigan $3,823

Edinburgh costs about 33% more than Wigan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edinburgh and Wigan sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Wigan by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$19.72 £14.80

19.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$68.3 £51.2

52.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$9.87 £7.40

6.18%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$3.39 £2.54

49.85%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$2.37 £1.77

5.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.53 £1.15

40.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$4.54 £3.40

77.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$4.21 £3.16

93.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.27 £0.95

32.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.36 £1.02

68.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$1.29 £0.97

74.42%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$3.54 £2.66

42.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$5.43 £4.08

66.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$5.56 £4.17

70.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$7.80 £5.85

106.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$1.51 £1.13

101.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.67 £1.25

15.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.53 £2.65

-4.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$3.82 £2.87

-3.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.79 £1.34

15.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.71 £1.29

-9.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.20 £0.90

4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.91 £1.43

1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$22.51 £16.89

5.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$8.98 £6.74

23.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$4.39 £3.30

-26.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.26 £2.45

-2.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.70 £2.02

18.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$4.33 £3.25

19.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

$33.05 £24.79

-13.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.91 £1.44

12.04%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$38.1K £28.6K

1.34%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$40.5K £30.4K

1.54%

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

$330 £248

$343 £258

-3.89%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$16.01 £12.01

2.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$38.96 £29.23

8.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$59.0 £44.26

-25.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$17.13 £12.85

-16.52%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$797 £598

120.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$110 £82.4

-26.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$55.9 £41.97

-11.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$110 £82.8

-4.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$114 £85.3

0.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$975 £732

65.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$760 £570

55.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$1,593 £1,195

71.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$1,343 £1,008

56.76%

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

$2,670 £2,003

31.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

6.4

-25.47%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Wigan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

Wigan

$760 38.7% 35.9% $425

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

Wigan

$398 20.3% 2.5% $9.8

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

Wigan

$275 14% 23% $82

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

Wigan

$247 12.6% 25.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

Wigan

$175 8.9% 11.4% $18

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

Wigan

$15 * 0.8% 87.8% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Wigan

$93 4.8% 28.2% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Edinburgh versus $975 in Wigan. 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 32% 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 $104 in Edinburgh versus $68.0 in Wigan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $247 – making Wigan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇬🇧 Wigan

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

Same time as Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

81,203

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Wigan 270 km

From you

Edinburgh
Wigan

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 Wigan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,925 per month in Edinburgh and $2,946 in Wigan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wigan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,617 in Edinburgh and $1,964 in Wigan. That's a gap of about 33%.

Kindergarten costs $1,759 per month in Edinburgh and $797 in Wigan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Wigan, where all-in costs run around $1,964, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Wigan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wigan – 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 Wigan. 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.