Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire: $2,327 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire
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Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,327

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,327 per month in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire vs $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire $2,327
Edinburgh $2,617

A couple spends around $3,267 per month in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire vs $3,956 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire $3,267
Edinburgh $3,956

A family of three spends $4,207 per month in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire vs $5,295 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire $4,207
Edinburgh $5,295

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire is about 11% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire by 72%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.76 £17.08

$23.64 £17.73

-3.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 £49.50

$104 £78.2

-36.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.17 £6.13

$10.48 £7.86

-22.04%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.46

$5.08 £3.81

-9.25%

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

$1.99 £1.49

$2.50 £1.87

-20.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.20

$2.15 £1.61

-25.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.26 £3.20

$8.06 £6.04

-47.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.00

$8.13 £6.10

-34.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.68 £1.26

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 £1.78

$2.29 £1.71

3.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 £1.00

$2.25 £1.69

-40.44%

Eggs

$3.22 £2.42

$5.05 £3.79

-36.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 £6.87

$9.05 £6.79

1.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.48 £7.86

$9.49 £7.12

10.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.48 £11.62

$16.12 £12.10

-3.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 £1.96

$3.05 £2.29

-14.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$1.93 £1.45

0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$3.36 £2.52

-42.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 £3.00

$3.68 £2.76

8.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 £1.76

$2.07 £1.55

13.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.54 £1.16

-1.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.25 £0.94

12.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.94 £1.45

-3.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.71 £17.79

$23.67 £17.76

0.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 £9.15

$11.13 £8.35

9.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 £2.05

$3.22 £2.42

-15.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.27

$3.19 £2.40

-5.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 £2.62

$3.20 £2.40

9.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.7

$96.7 £72.6

0.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 £3.58

$5.18 £3.89

-7.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.86 £1.40

-16.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.05 £15.05

$28.69 £21.52

-30.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 £1.63

$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

0.56%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$41.2K £30.9K

-0.24%

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

$264 £198

$330 £248

-20.13%

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

$24.46 £18.35

$16.39 £12.30

49.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.30 £34.73

$42.15 £31.63

9.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.23 £33.93

$44.13 £33.11

2.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.89 £29.93

$23.04 £17.28

73.13%

Cinema Ticket

$14.42 £10.82

$14.30 £10.73

0.84%

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

$1,396 £1,047

$1,759 £1,319

-20.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K £13.6K

$25.4K £19.0K

-28.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 £61.2

$80.6 £60.4

1.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.37

$49.45 £37.10

-7.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £78.4

$106 £79.2

-1.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.3

$115 £86.0

-10.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 £905

$1,611 £1,209

-25.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 £761

$1,185 £889

-14.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,079 £1,560

$2,738 £2,054

-24.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 £1,025

$2,106 £1,580

-35.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,098 £3,825

$6,632 £4,976

-23.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,901 £2,927

$4,609 £3,458

-15.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

4.77

2.94%

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

Last update for Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire: October 13, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

$1K 43.6%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 16.8% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

$334 14.4%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 16.2% $54

Groceries & Markets

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

$322 13.8%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

$308 13.3%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 15.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

$151 6.5%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 4.6% $6.9

Getting Around

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

$123 5.3%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

$74 3.2%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 1.8% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,206 in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire versus $104 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $333 – making Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

Same time as Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,000

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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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,490 per month in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire 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 Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, 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 $66.0 in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire 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 $2,327 in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire and $2,617 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 12%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, where all-in costs run around $2,327, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire – 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 Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire. 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.