Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Folkestone and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Folkestone: $1,977 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Folkestone
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Folkestone Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Folkestone

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,977

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Folkestone and in Edinburgh

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Folkestone and in Edinburgh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,977 per month in Folkestone vs $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Folkestone $1,977
Edinburgh $2,601

A couple spends around $3,052 per month in Folkestone vs $3,985 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Folkestone $3,052
Edinburgh $3,985

A family of three spends $4,128 per month in Folkestone vs $5,369 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Folkestone $4,128
Edinburgh $5,369

Folkestone is about 24% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Folkestone and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Folkestone by 46%, Edinburgh by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 £13.03

$23.67 £17.76

-26.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 £50.1

$108 £81.4

-38.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.90

$10.71 £8.04

-1.59%

Cappuccino

$4.74 £3.56

$5.25 £3.94

-9.71%

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

$2.72 £2.04

$2.48 £1.86

9.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.38

$2.17 £1.63

-15.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 £5.06

$7.94 £5.96

-14.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 £4.84

$8.00 £6.00

-19.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.69 £1.27

-11.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 £1.00

$2.35 £1.77

-43.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$2.36 £1.77

-44.92%

Eggs

$2.98 £2.23

$4.96 £3.72

-39.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 £7.20

$9.20 £6.91

4.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 £5.85

$9.33 £7.00

-16.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.76 £11.07

$15.79 £11.85

-6.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 £2.44

$3.01 £2.26

7.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.88 £1.41

-22.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 £2.09

$3.42 £2.57

-18.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 £2.44

$3.67 £2.75

-11.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 £1.20

$2.01 £1.51

-20.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.55 £1.16

-9.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.32 £0.99

28.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.93 £1.45

-23.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.97 £17.98

$23.23 £17.43

3.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 £8.09

$11.20 £8.40

-3.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.09

$3.12 £2.34

-10.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 £2.75

$3.27 £2.46

12.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 £2.03

$3.14 £2.35

-13.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.78 £24.59

$97.0 £72.8

-66.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 £0.99

$5.43 £4.08

-75.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.82 £1.37

-7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 £16.28

$28.32 £21.25

-23.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.48

$2.08 £1.56

-4.81%

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

$38.4K £28.8K

$38.6K £28.9K

-0.48%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$39.9K £29.9K

1.83%

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

$253 £190

$328 £246

-23.00%

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

$24.53 £18.40

$16.47 £12.36

48.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.77 £30.58

$42.32 £31.75

-3.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 £54.8

$44.41 £33.32

64.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.46 £7.10

$23.05 £17.30

-58.96%

Cinema Ticket

$21.11 £15.84

$14.39 £10.79

46.70%

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

$1,046 £785

$1,775 £1,331

-41.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K £15.2K

$25.6K £19.2K

-20.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 £52.1

$81.2 £60.9

-14.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.93 £23.95

$49.04 £36.79

-34.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 £58.2

$108 £81.2

-28.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.1 £38.30

$115 £85.9

-55.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 £848

$1,600 £1,200

-29.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 £607

$1,168 £876

-30.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 £1,109

$2,803 £2,103

-47.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 £1,224

$2,155 £1,617

-24.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,465 £2,600

$6,714 £5,037

-48.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,474 £2,606

$4,715 £3,538

-26.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

4.77

2.94%

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

Last update for Folkestone: October 20, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Folkestone

$810 41%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 44.2% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Folkestone

$318 16.1%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 21.7% $69

Eating Out

Folkestone

$292 14.8%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 22.7% $66

Groceries & Markets

Folkestone

$285 14.4%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 16.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Folkestone

$115 5.8%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 36.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Folkestone

$103 5.2%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 53.5% $55

Getting Around

Folkestone

$53 2.7%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 133% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Folkestone versus $1,600 in Edinburgh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Folkestone versus $108 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $332 – making Folkestone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Folkestone

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

Same time as Folkestone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,273

488,050

💱 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

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Between locations

Folkestone Edinburgh 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Folkestone
Edinburgh

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

Folkestone vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,966 per month in Folkestone and $3,902 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Folkestone, 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 $67.0 in Folkestone and $108 in Edinburgh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,977 in Folkestone and $2,601 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 32%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Folkestone, where all-in costs run around $1,977, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Folkestone it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Folkestone – 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 Folkestone. 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.