Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Isle of Islay and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper on the Isle of Islay: $2,352 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 on the Isle of Islay
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Isle of Islay Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend on the Isle of Islay and in Edinburgh

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

A single person spends $2,352 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Isle of Islay $2,352
Edinburgh $2,601

A couple spends around $3,353 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $3,985 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Isle of Islay $3,353
Edinburgh $3,985

A family of three spends $4,354 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $5,369 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Isle of Islay $4,354
Edinburgh $5,369

Isle of Islay is about 10% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Isle of Islay and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Isle of Islay by 74%, Edinburgh by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.60 £16.21

$23.67 £17.76

-8.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 £61.1

$108 £81.4

-24.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 £7.95

$10.71 £8.04

-1.03%

Cappuccino

$4.48 £3.36

$5.25 £3.94

-14.67%

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

$2.48 £1.86

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 £0.99

$2.17 £1.63

-39.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 £4.37

$7.94 £5.96

-26.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 £4.51

$8.00 £6.00

-24.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.69 £1.27

20.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.32

$2.35 £1.77

-25.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 £2.06

$2.36 £1.77

16.10%

Eggs

$5.41 £4.06

$4.96 £3.72

9.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 £5.54

$9.20 £6.91

-19.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 £7.14

$9.33 £7.00

2.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 £11.53

$15.79 £11.85

-2.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 £1.88

$3.01 £2.26

-16.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.88 £1.41

17.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.12

$3.42 £2.57

-17.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 £2.15

$3.67 £2.75

-21.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 £2.29

$2.01 £1.51

52.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.55 £1.16

36.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.32 £0.99

40.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.82

$1.93 £1.45

25.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.79 £17.85

$23.23 £17.43

2.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 £9.03

$11.20 £8.40

7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.44

$3.12 £2.34

4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.41

$3.27 £2.46

-1.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 £2.62

$3.14 £2.35

11.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.1 £73.6

$97.0 £72.8

1.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 £3.56

$5.43 £4.08

-12.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.79 £2.84

$1.82 £1.37

108.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.58 £19.94

$28.32 £21.25

-6.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.08 £1.56

-0.48%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$38.6K £28.9K

-0.08%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$39.9K £29.9K

1.41%

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

$238 £178

$328 £246

-27.58%

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

$13.09 £9.82

$16.47 £12.36

-20.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.21 £31.67

$42.32 £31.75

-0.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.82 £32.88

$44.41 £33.32

-1.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.08

$14.39 £10.79

-6.60%

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

$1,918 £1,439

$1,775 £1,331

8.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K £18.6K

$25.6K £19.2K

-3.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 £75.1

$81.2 £60.9

23.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 £43.19

$49.04 £36.79

17.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 £90.9

$108 £81.2

11.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 £65.4

$115 £85.9

-23.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 £955

$1,600 £1,200

-20.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 £779

$1,168 £876

-11.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 £1,595

$2,803 £2,103

-24.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 £1,087

$2,155 £1,617

-32.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,528 £4,147

$6,714 £5,037

-17.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,409 £2,558

$4,715 £3,538

-27.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

4.77

13.42%

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

Last update for the Isle of Islay: 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

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 12.4% $129

Groceries & Markets

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 0.8% $2.6

Eating Out

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 14% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 32.1% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Isle of Islay

$165 7%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 3.5% $5.8

Getting Around

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 8.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Isle of Islay

$71 3%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 3.5% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,272 on the Isle of Islay 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 $81.0 on the Isle of Islay versus $108 in Edinburgh. Groceries tell a different story – $334 on the Isle of Islay vs $332 in Edinburgh – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

Same time as the Isle of Islay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,457

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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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Isle of Islay 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 eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,528 per month on the Isle of Islay 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 on the Isle of Islay, 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 $81.0 on the Isle of Islay 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 $2,352 on the Isle of Islay and $2,601 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further on the Isle of Islay, where all-in costs run around $2,352, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Isle of Islay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward the Isle of Islay – 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 the Isle of Islay. 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.