Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Inverness and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Inverness: $2,360 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Inverness
Learn more

Inverness Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
Learn more

Edinburgh Living Index

Jump to prices

Inverness

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,360

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,360 per month in Inverness vs $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Inverness $2,360
Edinburgh $2,601

A couple spends around $3,292 per month in Inverness vs $3,985 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Inverness $3,292
Edinburgh $3,985

A family of three spends $4,224 per month in Inverness vs $5,369 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Inverness $4,224
Edinburgh $5,369

Inverness is about 9% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Inverness and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Inverness by 74%, Edinburgh by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.44 £16.08

$23.67 £17.76

-9.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 £50.6

$108 £81.4

-37.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.76 £8.07

$10.71 £8.04

0.47%

Cappuccino

$4.12 £3.09

$5.25 £3.94

-21.52%

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

$1.97 £1.48

$2.48 £1.86

-20.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 £0.98

$2.17 £1.63

-40.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 £4.01

$7.94 £5.96

-32.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 £5.09

$8.00 £6.00

-15.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.69 £1.27

-2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.24

$2.35 £1.77

-29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$2.36 £1.77

-14.41%

Eggs

$3.93 £2.95

$4.96 £3.72

-20.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.27 £6.95

$9.20 £6.91

0.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 £6.57

$9.33 £7.00

-6.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.21 £12.16

$15.79 £11.85

2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 £1.64

$3.01 £2.26

-27.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.88 £1.41

-18.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$3.42 £2.57

-54.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 £0.98

$3.67 £2.75

-64.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 £0.87

$2.01 £1.51

-42.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 £0.78

$1.55 £1.16

-32.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.86

$1.32 £0.99

-13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.93 £1.45

-19.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.12 £16.59

$23.23 £17.43

-4.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 £8.39

$11.20 £8.40

-0.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.29 £2.47

$3.12 £2.34

5.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 £2.12

$3.27 £2.46

-13.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 £2.54

$3.14 £2.35

7.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 £45.56

$97.0 £72.8

-37.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 £3.90

$5.43 £4.08

-4.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.82 £1.37

-34.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.11 £18.09

$28.32 £21.25

-14.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.48

$2.08 £1.56

-5.29%

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

$39.0K £29.3K

$38.6K £28.9K

1.12%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$39.9K £29.9K

1.08%

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

$316 £237

$328 £246

-3.71%

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

$20.20 £15.16

$16.47 £12.36

22.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.51 £31.89

$42.32 £31.75

0.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.98 £32.25

$44.41 £33.32

-3.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.99 £6.00

$23.05 £17.30

-65.34%

Cinema Ticket

$14.72 £11.04

$14.39 £10.79

2.29%

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

$919 £690

$1,775 £1,331

-48.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K £16.1K

$25.6K £19.2K

-16.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 £69.4

$81.2 £60.9

13.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.77 £32.84

$49.04 £36.79

-10.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 £68.8

$108 £81.2

-15.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 £68.2

$115 £85.9

-20.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 £975

$1,600 £1,200

-18.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 £817

$1,168 £876

-6.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 £1,704

$2,803 £2,103

-18.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 £1,174

$2,155 £1,617

-27.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,714 £5,037

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,715 £3,538

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,191 £2,394

$3,558 £2,669

-10.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.77

0.42%

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

Last update for Inverness: October 18, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Inverness

$1.1K 46.2%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 7.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Inverness

$379 16.1%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 2.2% $8.3

Eating Out

Inverness

$307 13%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 17% $52

Groceries & Markets

Inverness

$284 12%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 17% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Inverness

$144 6.1%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 10.7% $15

Getting Around

Inverness

$85 3.6%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 45.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Inverness

$72 3.1%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 1.1% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,300 in Inverness 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.

Salaries run about 12% 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 $67.0 in Inverness versus $108 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $332 – making Inverness the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Inverness

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

13:53 1:53 PM

Same time as Inverness

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,060

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Inverness Edinburgh 180 km

From you

Inverness
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

Inverness vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,540 per month in Inverness 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 Inverness, 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 Inverness 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 $2,360 in Inverness and $2,601 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Inverness, where all-in costs run around $2,360, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Inverness it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Inverness – 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 Inverness. 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.