Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oldham and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Oldham: $1,982 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Oldham
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Oldham Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Oldham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,982

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,982 per month in Oldham vs $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Oldham $1,982
Edinburgh $2,601

A couple spends around $2,932 per month in Oldham vs $3,985 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Oldham $2,932
Edinburgh $3,985

A family of three spends $3,883 per month in Oldham vs $5,369 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Oldham $3,883
Edinburgh $5,369

Oldham is about 24% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oldham and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Oldham by 46%, Edinburgh by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 £14.75

$23.67 £17.76

-16.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 £66.1

$108 £81.4

-18.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 £7.17

$10.71 £8.04

-10.74%

Cappuccino

$4.79 £3.59

$5.25 £3.94

-8.76%

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

$2.93 £2.20

$2.48 £1.86

18.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 £1.49

$2.17 £1.63

-8.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.24 £5.43

$7.94 £5.96

-8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 £5.06

$8.00 £6.00

-15.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.69 £1.27

-13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.35 £1.77

-28.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 £2.21

$2.36 £1.77

25.00%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.04

$4.96 £3.72

-18.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.83 £7.37

$9.20 £6.91

6.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 £6.61

$9.33 £7.00

-5.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.54 £11.66

$15.79 £11.85

-1.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 £2.36

$3.01 £2.26

4.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.88 £1.41

-1.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$3.42 £2.57

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.46 £2.59

$3.67 £2.75

-5.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 £1.11

$2.01 £1.51

-25.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.55 £1.16

3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.32 £0.99

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.93 £1.45

-36.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.63 £17.73

$23.23 £17.43

1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 £8.15

$11.20 £8.40

-3.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 £2.07

$3.12 £2.34

-11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$3.27 £2.46

-4.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.96

$3.14 £2.35

-16.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.7 £71.8

$97.0 £72.8

-1.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 £2.41

$5.43 £4.08

-40.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.82 £1.37

10.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.03 £22.53

$28.32 £21.25

6.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 £1.59

$2.08 £1.56

1.92%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$38.6K £28.9K

-0.90%

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

$39.8K £29.8K

$39.9K £29.9K

-0.20%

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

$251 £188

$328 £246

-23.50%

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

$16.94 £12.71

$16.47 £12.36

2.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.55 £30.43

$42.32 £31.75

-4.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.14 £32.36

$44.41 £33.32

-2.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 £9.89

$14.39 £10.79

-8.41%

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

$1,290 £968

$1,775 £1,331

-27.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.8K

$25.6K £19.2K

-22.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 £65.3

$81.2 £60.9

7.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.43 £31.08

$49.04 £36.79

-15.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 £70.2

$108 £81.2

-13.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 £65.5

$115 £85.9

-23.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £917

$1,600 £1,200

-23.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 £546

$1,168 £876

-37.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,026

$2,803 £2,103

-51.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 £820

$2,155 £1,617

-49.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,063 £3,798

$6,714 £5,037

-24.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 £2,503

$4,715 £3,538

-29.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 £1,863

$3,558 £2,669

-30.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

4.77

1.05%

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

Last update for Oldham: October 17, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oldham

$728 36.7%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 60.4% $440

Eating Out

Oldham

$313 15.8%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 14.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oldham

$309 15.6%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 25.4% $78

Groceries & Markets

Oldham

$304 15.4%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 9.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Oldham

$139 7%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 14.2% $20

Getting Around

Oldham

$119 6%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 3.9% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Oldham

$70 3.5%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 5.3% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,222 in Oldham 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.

Salaries run about 43% 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 $88.0 in Oldham versus $108 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $332 – making Oldham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Oldham

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

Same time as Oldham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,718

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

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Between locations

Oldham Edinburgh 280 km

From you

Oldham
Edinburgh

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

Oldham vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,972 per month in Oldham 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 Oldham, 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 $88.0 in Oldham 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 $1,982 in Oldham and $2,601 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 31%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Oldham, where all-in costs run around $1,982, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Oldham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Oldham – 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 Oldham. 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.