Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilford and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilford: $2,414 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ilford
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Ilford Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Ilford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,414

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,414 per month in Ilford vs $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Ilford $2,414
Edinburgh $2,617

A couple spends around $3,764 per month in Ilford vs $3,956 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Ilford $3,764
Edinburgh $3,956

A family of three spends $5,115 per month in Ilford vs $5,295 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Ilford $5,115
Edinburgh $5,295

Ilford is about 8% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.97

$23.64 £17.73

-9.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 £70.5

$104 £78.2

-9.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$10.48 £7.86

0.29%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.45

$5.08 £3.81

-9.45%

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

$2.81 £2.11

$2.50 £1.87

12.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.38

$2.15 £1.61

-14.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 £5.93

$8.06 £6.04

-1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 £4.82

$8.13 £6.10

-20.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.68 £1.26

-2.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$2.29 £1.71

-24.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.72

$2.25 £1.69

2.22%

Eggs

$4.60 £3.45

$5.05 £3.79

-8.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 £7.09

$9.05 £6.79

4.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 £7.21

$9.49 £7.12

1.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 £11.59

$16.12 £12.10

-4.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.21

$3.05 £2.29

-3.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.93 £1.45

-26.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.22

$3.36 £2.52

-11.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$3.68 £2.76

-10.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.07 £1.55

-19.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.54 £1.16

14.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.25 £0.94

2.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.94 £1.45

-8.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.20 £16.65

$23.67 £17.76

-6.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$11.13 £8.35

-2.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$3.22 £2.42

-5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 £2.94

$3.19 £2.40

22.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.57

$3.20 £2.40

7.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.6 £73.3

$96.7 £72.6

0.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £4.05

$5.18 £3.89

4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.86 £1.40

40.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.45 £19.09

$28.69 £21.52

-11.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$2.14 £1.60

-1.40%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$38.6K £29.0K

0.78%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$41.2K £30.9K

-0.56%

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

$334 £250

$330 £248

1.05%

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

$18.31 £13.74

$16.39 £12.30

11.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.86 £30.65

$42.15 £31.63

-3.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 £33.70

$44.13 £33.11

1.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

Cinema Ticket

$17.09 £12.82

$14.30 £10.73

19.51%

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

$2,535 £1,902

$1,759 £1,319

44.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K £26.3K

$25.4K £19.0K

38.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 £66.0

$80.6 £60.4

9.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.25 £34.69

$49.45 £37.10

-6.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 £69.8

$106 £79.2

-11.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 £72.1

$115 £86.0

-16.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 £1,013

$1,611 £1,209

-16.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 £768

$1,185 £889

-13.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,960 £2,221

$2,738 £2,054

8.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 £1,575

$2,106 £1,580

-0.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,983 £3,739

$6,632 £4,976

-24.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,831 £2,874

$4,609 £3,458

-16.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,485 £2,615

$3,522 £2,642

-1.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

4.77

5.66%

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

Last update for Ilford: October 10, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ilford

$1K 42.4%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 15.8% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilford

$393 16.3%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 1% $4.1

Eating Out

Ilford

$328 13.6%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 8.7% $29

Groceries & Markets

Ilford

$315 13.1%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 5.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Ilford

$146 6%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 8.3% $12

Getting Around

Ilford

$130 5.4%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 4.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ilford

$79 3.3%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 8.1% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in Ilford versus $1,611 in Edinburgh. 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 1% 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 $94.0 in Ilford versus $104 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $333 – making Ilford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ilford

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

Same time as Ilford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,168

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

Ilford Edinburgh 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ilford
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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

Ilford vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,620 per month in Ilford and $3,925 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilford, 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 $94.0 in Ilford and $104 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 $2,414 in Ilford and $2,617 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 8%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ilford, where all-in costs run around $2,414, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Ilford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ilford – 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 Ilford. 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.