Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oxford and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $3,210 in Oxford, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Oxford
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Oxford Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Oxford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,210

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,210 per month in Oxford vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Oxford $3,210
Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $4,477 per month in Oxford vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Oxford $4,477
Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $5,743 per month in Oxford vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Oxford $5,743
Edinburgh $5,397

Oxford costs about 21% more than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Oxford and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Oxford by 136%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.95 £18.64

$24.35 £18.19

2.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £77.7

$105 £78.7

-1.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 £7.92

$10.47 £7.82

1.24%

Cappuccino

$4.94 £3.69

$5.02 £3.75

-1.59%

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

$4.46 £3.33

$2.41 £1.80

85.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.04 £6.75

$8.04 £6.00

12.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 £6.39

$7.91 £5.91

8.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.26

$1.75 £1.31

-3.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.27

$2.33 £1.74

-27.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 £1.47

$2.35 £1.75

-16.17%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.04

$5.13 £3.83

-20.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.74 £10.27

$9.05 £6.76

51.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 £6.41

$9.26 £6.92

-7.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 £11.08

$16.17 £12.08

-8.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 £2.49

$3.05 £2.28

9.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.87 £1.40

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 £2.25

$3.35 £2.50

-10.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 £2.79

$3.75 £2.80

-0.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 £1.29

$2.05 £1.53

-15.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 £1.31

$1.53 £1.14

15.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.33 £1.00

-9.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.89 £1.41

-14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.70 £17.70

$23.87 £17.83

-0.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 £8.45

$10.96 £8.19

3.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.44

$3.16 £2.36

3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.53

$3.22 £2.40

5.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.91

$3.13 £2.34

24.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 £82.0

$99.8 £74.6

10.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 £3.72

$5.45 £4.07

-8.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 £2.37

$1.90 £1.42

67.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.14 £31.48

$28.50 £21.29

47.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$2.06 £1.54

2.43%

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

$38.4K £28.7K

$38.2K £28.6K

0.53%

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

$41.1K £30.7K

$39.7K £29.7K

3.53%

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

$361 £270

$329 £246

9.63%

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

$18.08 £13.51

$16.81 £12.56

7.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.18 £33.00

$43.13 £32.22

2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.85 £31.26

$41.84 £31.26

0.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.49 £8.58

$23.33 £17.43

-50.75%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 £11.98

$14.67 £10.96

9.27%

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

$2,254 £1,684

$1,901 £1,420

18.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K £11.4K

$25.8K £19.3K

-40.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.8 £73.8

$82.2 £61.4

20.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.09 £34.43

$50.0 £37.36

-7.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.4

$106 £79.0

-3.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £77.8

$115 £86.1

-9.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,187 £1,634

$1,691 £1,263

29.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 £1,275

$1,205 £900

41.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,231 £2,414

$2,959 £2,211

9.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 £1,841

$2,184 £1,632

12.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,794 £6,570

$6,388 £4,772

37.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,600 £4,931

$4,514 £3,372

46.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,032 £3,012

$3,632 £2,713

11.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.77

0.42%

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

Last update for Oxford: October 25, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oxford

$1.7K 53.2%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 29.4% $501

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oxford

$423 13.2%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 8% $34

Eating Out

Oxford

$380 11.8%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 4.9% $19

Groceries & Markets

Oxford

$323 10.1%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 3.1% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Oxford

$158 4.9%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 0.5% $0.8

Getting Around

Oxford

$146 4.6%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 12.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Oxford

$74 2.3%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 3.7% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,187 in Oxford 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 11% higher in Oxford, 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 $104 in Oxford versus $105 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $333 – making Oxford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Oxford

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

Same time as Oxford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,000

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

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Between locations

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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

Oxford vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oxford is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,815 per month in Oxford 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 Edinburgh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,691 there versus $2,187 in Oxford.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,210 in Oxford and $2,645 in Edinburgh. That makes Edinburgh about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,254 per month in Oxford and $1,901 in Edinburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,210 in Oxford and $2,645 in Edinburgh. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Edinburgh. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oxford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.