Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lerwick and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Lerwick: $2,368 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
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Lerwick Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,368 per month in Lerwick vs $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Lerwick $2,368
Edinburgh $2,601

A couple spends around $3,415 per month in Lerwick vs $3,985 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Lerwick $3,415
Edinburgh $3,985

A family of three spends $4,462 per month in Lerwick vs $5,369 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Lerwick $4,462
Edinburgh $5,369

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

Both Lerwick and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Lerwick by 75%, Edinburgh by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 £15.11

$23.67 £17.76

-14.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 £73.9

$108 £81.4

-9.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 £7.76

$10.71 £8.04

-3.36%

Cappuccino

$5.40 £4.05

$5.25 £3.94

2.86%

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

$2.25 £1.69

$2.48 £1.86

-9.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.17 £1.63

-24.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 £4.84

$7.94 £5.96

-18.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 £4.40

$8.00 £6.00

-26.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.69 £1.27

-8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.35 £1.77

-28.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 £1.66

$2.36 £1.77

-6.36%

Eggs

$4.02 £3.02

$4.96 £3.72

-18.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £7.03

$9.20 £6.91

1.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.57 £6.43

$9.33 £7.00

-8.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 £10.84

$15.79 £11.85

-8.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.27

$3.01 £2.26

0.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.88 £1.41

-19.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 £2.07

$3.42 £2.57

-19.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$3.67 £2.75

-10.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.01 £1.51

-8.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.55 £1.16

10.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.32 £0.99

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.93 £1.45

-19.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.02 £18.02

$23.23 £17.43

3.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 £7.86

$11.20 £8.40

-6.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 £2.25

$3.12 £2.34

-3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 £2.30

$3.14 £2.35

-2.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.1 £62.3

$97.0 £72.8

-14.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.23 £3.18

$5.43 £4.08

-22.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$1.82 £1.37

29.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.03 £18.03

$28.32 £21.25

-15.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 £1.75

$2.08 £1.56

12.50%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$38.6K £28.9K

0.82%

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

$34.5K £25.9K

$39.9K £29.9K

-13.53%

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

$309 £232

$328 £246

-5.70%

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

$19.33 £14.50

$16.47 £12.36

17.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.26 £33.95

$42.32 £31.75

6.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 £39.61

$44.41 £33.32

18.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 £9.99

$14.39 £10.79

-7.44%

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

$1,392 £1,045

$1,775 £1,331

-21.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K £18.4K

$25.6K £19.2K

-4.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 £66.5

$81.2 £60.9

9.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 £37.93

$49.04 £36.79

3.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 £66.8

$108 £81.2

-17.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 £82.8

$115 £85.9

-3.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 £834

$1,600 £1,200

-30.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £777

$1,168 £876

-11.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,395 £1,797

$2,803 £2,103

-14.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,523 £1,143

$2,155 £1,617

-29.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,646 £3,486

$6,714 £5,037

-30.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,438 £2,579

$4,715 £3,538

-27.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 £2,669

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

4.77

6.71%

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

Last update for Lerwick: 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

Lerwick

$1K 43.7%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 12.7% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lerwick

$374 15.8%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 3.5% $13

Eating Out

Lerwick

$317 13.4%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 13.3% $42

Groceries & Markets

Lerwick

$298 12.6%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 11.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Lerwick

$152 6.4%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 4.2% $6.5

Getting Around

Lerwick

$111 4.7%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 11.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lerwick

$79 3.4%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 7.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,112 in Lerwick 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 $99.0 in Lerwick versus $108 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $332 – making Lerwick the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

Same time as Lerwick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lerwick 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 $3,552 per month in Lerwick 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 Lerwick, 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 $99.0 in Lerwick 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 $2,368 in Lerwick and $2,601 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Lerwick, where all-in costs run around $2,368, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Lerwick it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lerwick – 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 Lerwick. 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.