Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Liverpool and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Liverpool: $2,193 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Liverpool
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Liverpool Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Liverpool

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,193

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,193 per month in Liverpool vs $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Liverpool $2,193
Edinburgh $2,617

A couple spends around $3,257 per month in Liverpool vs $3,956 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Liverpool $3,257
Edinburgh $3,956

A family of three spends $4,321 per month in Liverpool vs $5,295 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Liverpool $4,321
Edinburgh $5,295

Liverpool is about 16% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Liverpool and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Liverpool by 62%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.17 £18.88

$23.64 £17.73

6.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.0

$104 £78.2

2.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.86

$10.48 £7.86

-0.10%

Cappuccino

$5.16 £3.87

$5.08 £3.81

1.57%

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

$2.40 £1.80

$2.50 £1.87

-4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.42

$2.15 £1.61

-12.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.53 £4.90

$8.06 £6.04

-18.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 £4.84

$8.13 £6.10

-20.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.68 £1.26

0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.24

$2.29 £1.71

-27.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.25 £1.69

-5.33%

Eggs

$3.85 £2.89

$5.05 £3.79

-23.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.78 £5.84

$9.05 £6.79

-14.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 £6.40

$9.49 £7.12

-10.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 £10.48

$16.12 £12.10

-13.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$3.05 £2.29

-6.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.93 £1.45

-16.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 £2.06

$3.36 £2.52

-18.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$3.68 £2.76

-21.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$2.07 £1.55

-2.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.54 £1.16

-1.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.25 £0.94

0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.94 £1.45

-17.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.31 £17.49

$23.67 £17.76

-1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 £7.53

$11.13 £8.35

-9.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 £2.13

$3.22 £2.42

-12.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 £2.27

$3.19 £2.40

-5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.60 £1.95

$3.20 £2.40

-18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £76.0

$96.7 £72.6

4.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 £3.85

$5.18 £3.89

-0.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 £2.02

$1.86 £1.40

45.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.36 £16.78

$28.69 £21.52

-22.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.14 £1.60

-0.47%

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

$38.0K £28.5K

$38.6K £29.0K

-1.73%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$41.2K £30.9K

-0.67%

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

$293 £220

$330 £248

-11.19%

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

$21.07 £15.81

$16.39 £12.30

28.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 £30.44

$42.15 £31.63

-3.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.03 £24.78

$44.13 £33.11

-25.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.91 £12.69

$23.04 £17.28

-26.61%

Cinema Ticket

$18.68 £14.01

$14.30 £10.73

30.63%

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

$1,743 £1,308

$1,759 £1,319

-0.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K £12.1K

$25.4K £19.0K

-36.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 £70.2

$80.6 £60.4

16.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.68 £32.02

$49.45 £37.10

-13.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 £74.5

$106 £79.2

-5.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 £75.6

$115 £86.0

-12.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 £867

$1,611 £1,209

-28.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$841 £631

$1,185 £889

-29.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,204 £1,653

$2,738 £2,054

-19.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 £943

$2,106 £1,580

-40.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,733 £2,801

$6,632 £4,976

-43.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 £1,953

$4,609 £3,458

-43.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,262 £2,447

$3,522 £2,642

-7.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

4.77

7.97%

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

Last update for Liverpool: October 10, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Liverpool

$841 38.3%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 40.9% $344

Eating Out

Liverpool

$357 16.3%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 0.2% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Liverpool

$355 16.2%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 9.5% $34

Groceries & Markets

Liverpool

$289 13.2%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 15.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Liverpool

$151 6.9%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 4.1% $6.3

Getting Around

Liverpool

$130 5.9%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 4.9% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Liverpool

$70 3.2%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 3.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,156 in Liverpool 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 8% 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 $107 in Liverpool versus $104 in Edinburgh. Groceries tell a different story – $289 in Liverpool vs $333 in Edinburgh – so Liverpool wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Liverpool

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

Same time as Liverpool

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

434,900

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

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Liverpool Edinburgh 280 km

From you

Liverpool
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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

Liverpool vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,290 per month in Liverpool 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 Liverpool, 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 $107 in Liverpool 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 $2,193 in Liverpool and $2,617 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 19%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Liverpool, where all-in costs run around $2,193, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Liverpool it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Liverpool – 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 Liverpool. 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.