Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Margate and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Margate: $2,397 a month against $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Margate

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,397

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,397 per month in Margate vs $2,617 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Margate $2,397
Edinburgh $2,617

A couple spends around $3,447 per month in Margate vs $3,956 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Margate $3,447
Edinburgh $3,956

A family of three spends $4,498 per month in Margate vs $5,295 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Margate $4,498
Edinburgh $5,295

Margate is about 8% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Margate and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Margate by 78%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 £13.22

$23.64 £17.73

-25.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 £44.44

$104 £78.2

-43.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 £8.00

$10.48 £7.86

1.72%

Cappuccino

$4.58 £3.44

$5.08 £3.81

-9.84%

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

$1.93 £1.45

$2.50 £1.87

-22.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.02

$2.15 £1.61

-37.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 £5.97

$8.06 £6.04

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 £5.08

$8.13 £6.10

-16.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.68 £1.26

-5.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$2.29 £1.71

-21.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$2.25 £1.69

16.00%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.31

$5.05 £3.79

-12.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 £7.34

$9.05 £6.79

8.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 £7.25

$9.49 £7.12

1.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 £11.77

$16.12 £12.10

-2.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$3.05 £2.29

-1.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.93 £1.45

-12.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 £2.67

$3.36 £2.52

5.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$3.68 £2.76

-4.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$2.07 £1.55

-14.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.54 £1.16

16.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.25 £0.94

-1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.94 £1.45

0.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.12 £16.59

$23.67 £17.76

-6.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 £8.39

$11.13 £8.35

0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 £1.95

$3.22 £2.42

-19.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 £2.89

$3.19 £2.40

21.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.47

$3.20 £2.40

3.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.6 £71.7

$96.7 £72.6

-1.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 £5.96

$5.18 £3.89

53.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.94

$1.86 £1.40

38.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.2 £38.43

$28.69 £21.52

78.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.14 £1.60

-3.27%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$38.6K £29.0K

-2.71%

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

$41.0K £30.8K

$41.2K £30.9K

-0.28%

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

$342 £256

$330 £248

3.55%

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

$18.66 £14.00

$16.39 £12.30

13.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.12 £31.60

$42.15 £31.63

-0.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 £34.25

$44.13 £33.11

3.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

Cinema Ticket

$17.01 £12.76

$14.30 £10.73

18.95%

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

$2,568 £1,926

$1,759 £1,319

46.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.7K £26.8K

$25.4K £19.0K

40.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 £68.0

$80.6 £60.4

12.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.65 £35.75

$49.45 £37.10

-3.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 £70.0

$106 £79.2

-11.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.2

$115 £86.0

10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 £900

$1,611 £1,209

-25.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 £754

$1,185 £889

-15.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,134 £1,601

$2,738 £2,054

-22.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 £1,247

$2,106 £1,580

-21.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,111 £3,834

$6,632 £4,976

-22.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,937 £2,954

$4,609 £3,458

-14.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,652 £1,990

$3,522 £2,642

-24.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

4.77

5.66%

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

Last update for Margate: October 11, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Margate

$1K 42%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3% 17.8% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Margate

$403 16.8%

Edinburgh

$389 14.9% 3.5% $14

Groceries & Markets

Margate

$324 13.5%

Edinburgh

$333 12.7% 2.8% $9

Eating Out

Margate

$294 12.3%

Edinburgh

$357 13.6% 21.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Margate

$161 6.7%

Edinburgh

$158 6% 2.3% $3.7

Getting Around

Margate

$130 5.4%

Edinburgh

$124 4.7% 4.3% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Margate

$80 3.3%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 8.7% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,200 in Margate 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 33% 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 $59.0 in Margate versus $104 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $333 – making Margate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Margate

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

Same time as Margate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,465

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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Between locations

Margate Edinburgh 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Margate
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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

Margate vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,595 per month in Margate 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 Margate, 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 $59.0 in Margate 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 $2,397 in Margate and $2,617 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 9%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Margate, where all-in costs run around $2,397, than in Edinburgh at $2,617. In Margate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Margate – 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 Margate. 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.