Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Ipswich: $2,348 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Ipswich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,348

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,348 per month in Ipswich vs $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Ipswich $2,348
Edinburgh $2,601

A couple spends around $3,450 per month in Ipswich vs $3,985 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Ipswich $3,450
Edinburgh $3,985

A family of three spends $4,551 per month in Ipswich vs $5,369 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Ipswich $4,551
Edinburgh $5,369

Ipswich is about 10% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ipswich and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Ipswich by 73%, Edinburgh by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.87 £15.66

$23.67 £17.76

-11.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 £79.2

$108 £81.4

-2.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.91

$10.71 £8.04

-1.59%

Cappuccino

$5.50 £4.12

$5.25 £3.94

4.76%

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

$1.68 £1.26

$2.48 £1.86

-32.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.38

$2.17 £1.63

-15.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 £5.12

$7.94 £5.96

-13.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 £5.22

$8.00 £6.00

-13.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.69 £1.27

4.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.35 £1.77

-28.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$2.36 £1.77

-30.08%

Eggs

$4.31 £3.24

$4.96 £3.72

-13.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.43

$9.20 £6.91

36.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 £6.61

$9.33 £7.00

-5.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.47 £11.61

$15.79 £11.85

-2.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$3.01 £2.26

2.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.88 £1.41

-21.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 £2.09

$3.42 £2.57

-18.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.67 £2.75

-11.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.01 £1.51

-15.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.55 £1.16

-7.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.32 £0.99

10.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.93 £1.45

-24.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.41 £17.56

$23.23 £17.43

0.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 £8.15

$11.20 £8.40

-2.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 £2.01

$3.12 £2.34

-14.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 £2.76

$3.27 £2.46

12.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 £2.11

$3.14 £2.35

-10.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.7 £65.8

$97.0 £72.8

-9.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.61 £4.21

$5.43 £4.08

3.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.82 £1.37

7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.41 £25.06

$28.32 £21.25

17.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$2.08 £1.56

-5.77%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

$38.6K £28.9K

1.84%

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

$41.3K £31.0K

$39.9K £29.9K

3.60%

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

$375 £281

$328 £246

14.30%

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

$15.89 £11.92

$16.47 £12.36

-3.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.34 £30.26

$42.32 £31.75

-4.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.29 £24.97

$44.41 £33.32

-25.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.97 £5.98

$23.05 £17.30

-65.42%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 £13.32

$14.39 £10.79

23.42%

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

$1,076 £807

$1,775 £1,331

-39.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K £15.1K

$25.6K £19.2K

-21.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.5 £51.4

$81.2 £60.9

-15.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 £41.39

$49.04 £36.79

12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 £60.1

$108 £81.2

-26.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 £51.9

$115 £85.9

-39.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 £822

$1,600 £1,200

-31.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$972 £729

$1,168 £876

-16.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 £1,058

$2,803 £2,103

-49.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 £1,155

$2,155 £1,617

-28.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,009 £3,758

$6,714 £5,037

-25.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,015 £3,012

$4,715 £3,538

-14.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,990 £2,243

$3,558 £2,669

-15.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.77

-0.63%

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

Last update for Ipswich: October 17, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipswich

$972 41.4%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 20.1% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

$431 18.4%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 10.3% $44

Eating Out

Ipswich

$327 13.9%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 9.8% $32

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

$312 13.3%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 6.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

$123 5.2%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 29.3% $36

Getting Around

Ipswich

$114 4.9%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 8.5% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

$69 2.9%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 6.4% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,096 in Ipswich 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 19% 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 $106 in Ipswich versus $108 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $332 – making Ipswich the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ipswich

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

Same time as Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

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

Ipswich Edinburgh 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ipswich
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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

Ipswich vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,522 per month in Ipswich 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 Ipswich, 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 $106 in Ipswich 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 $2,348 in Ipswich and $2,601 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ipswich, where all-in costs run around $2,348, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Ipswich it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ipswich – 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 Ipswich. 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.