Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guildford and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $3,168 in Guildford, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Guildford
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Guildford Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Guildford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,168

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guildford 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 Guildford and in Edinburgh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,168 per month in Guildford vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Guildford $3,168
Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $4,474 per month in Guildford vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Guildford $4,474
Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $5,779 per month in Guildford vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Guildford $5,779
Edinburgh $5,397

Guildford costs about 20% more than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guildford and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Guildford by 133%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.72 £22.37

$24.35 £18.32

22.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.3 £70.2

$105 £79.2

-11.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 £8.45

$10.47 £7.88

7.26%

Cappuccino

$5.04 £3.79

$5.02 £3.78

0.40%

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

$2.71 £2.04

$2.41 £1.82

12.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.17

$2.19 £1.65

-28.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.56 £6.44

$8.04 £6.05

6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

$7.91 £5.95

-13.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.75 £1.32

-11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 £1.00

$2.33 £1.75

-42.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 £1.48

$2.35 £1.77

-16.17%

Eggs

$4.36 £3.28

$5.13 £3.86

-15.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 £10.20

$9.05 £6.81

49.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 £7.71

$9.26 £6.97

10.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 £12.16

$16.17 £12.17

-0.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 £2.66

$3.05 £2.29

16.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 £1.60

$1.87 £1.41

13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 £2.81

$3.35 £2.52

11.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.43 £4.08

$3.75 £2.83

44.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$2.05 £1.54

-5.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.53 £1.15

-5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.33 £1.00

-13.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.12

$1.89 £1.42

-21.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.07 £18.12

$23.87 £17.96

0.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 £9.00

$10.96 £8.25

9.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.88

$3.16 £2.37

-20.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.30

$3.22 £2.42

-4.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.2 £70.9

$99.8 £75.1

-5.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 £3.47

$5.45 £4.10

-15.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.90 £1.43

6.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.80 £30.70

$28.50 £21.45

43.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.06 £1.55

-0.97%

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

$39.2K £29.5K

$38.2K £28.8K

2.44%

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

$41.1K £30.9K

$39.7K £29.9K

3.51%

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

$398 £299

$329 £248

20.81%

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

$20.59 £15.50

$16.81 £12.65

22.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.34 £34.88

$43.13 £32.46

7.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 £38.91

$41.84 £31.49

23.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.35

$23.33 £17.56

-1.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 £7.91

$14.67 £11.04

-28.36%

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

$2,390 £1,799

$1,901 £1,430

25.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K £18.4K

$25.8K £19.4K

-5.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 £83.4

$82.2 £61.8

34.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 £50.3

$50.0 £37.63

33.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 £88.8

$106 £79.6

11.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.7

$115 £86.7

10.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 £1,465

$1,691 £1,273

15.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 £1,184

$1,205 £907

30.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,908 £2,189

$2,959 £2,227

-1.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,363 £1,778

$2,184 £1,644

8.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,969 £5,998

$6,388 £4,807

24.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,803 £5,120

$4,514 £3,397

50.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,678 £2,768

$3,632 £2,733

1.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.13

4.77

7.55%

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

Last update for Guildford: October 27, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guildford

$1.6K 49.7%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 23.4% $368

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guildford

$465 14.7%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 16.2% $76

Eating Out

Guildford

$405 12.8%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 11% $45

Groceries & Markets

Guildford

$340 10.7%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 2.3% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Guildford

$190 6%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 16.5% $31

Getting Around

Guildford

$121 3.8%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 4.9% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Guildford

$73 2.3%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 2.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,946 in Guildford versus $1,691 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 $93 in Guildford versus $105 in Edinburgh. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Guildford vs $333 in Edinburgh – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Guildford

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

Same time as Guildford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,773

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

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Between locations

Guildford Edinburgh 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Guildford
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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

Guildford vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guildford is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,752 per month in Guildford and $3,968 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edinburgh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,691 there versus $1,946 in Guildford.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,168 in Guildford and $2,645 in Edinburgh. That makes Edinburgh about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,390 per month in Guildford and $1,901 in Edinburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,168 in Guildford and $2,645 in Edinburgh. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.