Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Livingston: $2,109 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Livingston
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Livingston Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Livingston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,109

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,109 per month in Livingston vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Livingston $2,109
Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $3,288 per month in Livingston vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Livingston $3,288
Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $4,467 per month in Livingston vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Livingston $4,467
Edinburgh $5,397

Livingston is about 20% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Livingston and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Livingston by 55%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.94 £14.87

$24.35 £18.15

-18.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 £74.8

$105 £78.5

-4.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 £7.79

$10.47 £7.80

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.24 £3.91

$5.02 £3.74

4.38%

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

$2.72 £2.03

$2.41 £1.80

12.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 £1.69

$2.19 £1.64

3.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 £5.05

$8.04 £5.99

-15.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 £4.99

$7.91 £5.90

-15.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.75 £1.31

-18.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.33 £1.74

-16.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 £1.66

$2.35 £1.75

-5.53%

Eggs

$3.66 £2.73

$5.13 £3.82

-28.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 £6.71

$9.05 £6.75

-0.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 £6.61

$9.26 £6.91

-4.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 £10.83

$16.17 £12.06

-10.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 £2.17

$3.05 £2.27

-4.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.87 £1.40

-2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.14

$3.35 £2.50

-14.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.54

$3.75 £2.80

-9.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$2.05 £1.53

-16.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.53 £1.14

-9.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.33 £0.99

-9.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.16

$1.89 £1.41

-17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.78 £15.49

$23.87 £17.80

-12.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 £8.06

$10.96 £8.17

-1.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.28

$3.16 £2.35

-3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.41

$3.22 £2.40

0.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.49 £2.60

$3.13 £2.34

11.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 £71.0

$99.8 £74.4

-4.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.94

$5.45 £4.07

-2.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.90 £1.42

-15.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.76 £20.70

$28.50 £21.25

-2.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.54

$2.06 £1.54

0.49%

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

$38.8K £28.9K

$38.2K £28.5K

1.43%

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

$40.0K £29.8K

$39.7K £29.6K

0.62%

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

$321 £240

$329 £245

-2.43%

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

$16.94 £12.63

$16.81 £12.53

0.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.06 £30.61

$43.13 £32.15

-4.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.04 £34.33

$41.84 £31.19

10.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.39

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 £7.84

$14.67 £10.93

-28.36%

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

$1,245 £929

$1,901 £1,417

-34.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K £13.1K

$25.8K £19.2K

-32.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 £68.7

$82.2 £61.3

12.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 £35.64

$50.0 £37.28

-4.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.8

$106 £78.8

2.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 £71.7

$115 £85.9

-16.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 £635

$1,691 £1,261

-49.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 £569

$1,205 £898

-36.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 £1,439

$2,959 £2,206

-34.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 £1,120

$2,184 £1,629

-31.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,998 £3,726

$6,388 £4,762

-21.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,861 £2,878

$4,514 £3,365

-14.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,972 £2,961

$3,632 £2,708

9.36%

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 Livingston: October 24, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Livingston

$763 36.2%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 58% $442

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Livingston

$379 18%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 2.6% $9.9

Eating Out

Livingston

$321 15.2%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 12.4% $40

Groceries & Markets

Livingston

$301 14.3%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 10.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Livingston

$155 7.4%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 2.5% $3.9

Getting Around

Livingston

$123 5.8%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 3.9% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Livingston

$67 3.2%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 6.1% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $852 in Livingston versus $1,691 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 9% higher in Livingston, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Livingston versus $105 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $333 – making Livingston the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Livingston

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

Same time as Livingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,840

488,050

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

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Livingston Edinburgh 22 km

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Livingston
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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

Livingston vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,163 per month in Livingston and $3,968 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Livingston, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $852 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Livingston and $105 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 $2,109 in Livingston and $2,645 in Edinburgh. That makes Livingston about 20% cheaper.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,109 in Livingston and $2,645 in Edinburgh. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Livingston – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Livingston is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 20% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.