Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston upon Thames and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,617 a month against $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kingston upon Thames outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

161

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,276

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

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Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,276 per month in Kingston upon Thames vs $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Kingston upon Thames $3,276
Edinburgh $2,617

A couple spends around $4,746 per month in Kingston upon Thames vs $3,956 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Kingston upon Thames $4,746
Edinburgh $3,956

A family of three spends $6,216 per month in Kingston upon Thames vs $5,295 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Kingston upon Thames $6,216
Edinburgh $5,295

Kingston upon Thames costs about 25% more than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Kingston upon Thames and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Kingston upon Thames by 143%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 £16.58

$23.64 £17.73

-6.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 £65.0

$104 £78.2

-16.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 £7.82

$10.48 £7.86

-0.57%

Cappuccino

$5.46 £4.09

$5.08 £3.81

7.48%

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

$3.00 £2.25

$2.50 £1.87

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.15 £1.61

-16.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.20 £6.91

$8.06 £6.04

14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.93

$8.13 £6.10

-2.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.30

$2.29 £1.71

-24.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$2.25 £1.69

8.89%

Eggs

$4.91 £3.68

$5.05 £3.79

-2.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 £6.35

$9.05 £6.79

-6.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 £6.54

$9.49 £7.12

-8.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 £9.74

$16.12 £12.10

-19.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$3.05 £2.29

2.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.93 £1.45

-30.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$3.36 £2.52

-22.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$3.68 £2.76

-21.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.07 £1.55

-19.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.54 £1.16

11.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.25 £0.94

-0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.94 £1.45

-7.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$23.67 £17.76

-1.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 £6.99

$11.13 £8.35

-16.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 £2.32

$3.22 £2.42

-4.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 £3.34

$3.19 £2.40

39.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 £1.78

$3.20 £2.40

-25.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.49 £31.88

$96.7 £72.6

-56.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 £3.69

$5.18 £3.89

-5.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.86 £1.40

-23.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.70 £17.78

$28.69 £21.52

-17.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.49

$2.14 £1.60

-7.48%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$38.6K £29.0K

-2.47%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$41.2K £30.9K

-3.26%

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

$371 £278

$330 £248

12.27%

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

$15.63 £11.73

$16.39 £12.30

-4.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.78 £30.60

$42.15 £31.63

-3.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 £76.8

$44.13 £33.11

132.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.49 £7.87

$23.04 £17.28

-54.47%

Cinema Ticket

$19.46 £14.60

$14.30 £10.73

36.08%

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

$2,594 £1,946

$1,759 £1,319

47.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K £16.6K

$25.4K £19.0K

-12.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.7

$80.6 £60.4

41.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 £40.19

$49.45 £37.10

8.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 £58.6

$106 £79.2

-25.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$115 £86.0

-7.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 £1,527

$1,611 £1,209

26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,374

$1,185 £889

54.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,567 £2,676

$2,738 £2,054

30.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,164 £2,374

$2,106 £1,580

50.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,303 £3,978

$3,522 £2,642

50.58%

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 Kingston upon Thames: 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

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.9%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 35.3% $647

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston upon Thames

$427 13%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 9% $38

Eating Out

Kingston upon Thames

$355 10.8%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 0.6% $2

Groceries & Markets

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.1%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 11.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston upon Thames

$158 4.8%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 0.6% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston upon Thames

$141 4.3%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 48.5% $69

Getting Around

Kingston upon Thames

$64 2%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 93.7% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames 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 51% higher in Kingston upon Thames, 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 $87.0 in Kingston upon Thames versus $104 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $333 – making Kingston upon Thames the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

Same time as Kingston upon Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,013

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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Kingston upon Thames Edinburgh 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Kingston upon Thames
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Kingston upon Thames vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kingston upon Thames is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,913 per month in Kingston upon Thames 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 Edinburgh, 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 $87.0 in Kingston upon Thames 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 $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames and $2,617 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 25%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames and $2,617 in Edinburgh. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Edinburgh – 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 Edinburgh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston upon Thames makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.