Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Perth: $2,216 a month against $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Perth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,216

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,216 per month in Perth vs $2,601 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Perth $2,216
Edinburgh $2,601

A couple spends around $3,240 per month in Perth vs $3,985 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Perth $3,240
Edinburgh $3,985

A family of three spends $4,263 per month in Perth vs $5,369 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Perth $4,263
Edinburgh $5,369

Perth is about 15% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Perth and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Perth by 64%, Edinburgh by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.86 £17.90

$23.67 £17.76

0.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 £59.8

$108 £81.4

-26.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.07 £12.05

$10.71 £8.04

50.05%

Cappuccino

$4.12 £3.09

$5.25 £3.94

-21.52%

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

$2.40 £1.80

$2.48 £1.86

-3.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 £1.26

$2.17 £1.63

-22.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.50 £4.88

$7.94 £5.96

-18.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 £4.23

$8.00 £6.00

-29.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.69 £1.27

-17.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 £1.03

$2.35 £1.77

-41.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.36 £1.77

-21.19%

Eggs

$2.43 £1.82

$4.96 £3.72

-51.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 £6.15

$9.20 £6.91

-10.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 £6.49

$9.33 £7.00

-7.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.57 £10.18

$15.79 £11.85

-14.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.01 £2.26

-26.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.88 £1.41

-13.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.95

$3.42 £2.57

-23.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.67 £2.75

-11.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 £1.12

$2.01 £1.51

-25.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.55 £1.16

10.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.79

$1.32 £0.99

-19.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.93 £1.45

-20.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.81 £15.61

$23.23 £17.43

-10.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.27 £8.45

$11.20 £8.40

0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 £2.25

$3.12 £2.34

-3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 £2.15

$3.27 £2.46

-12.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.61 £2.71

$3.14 £2.35

14.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.8 £73.4

$97.0 £72.8

0.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.21 £3.91

$5.43 £4.08

-4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 £1.98

$1.82 £1.37

45.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.06 £18.05

$28.32 £21.25

-15.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$2.08 £1.56

-7.69%

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

$35.2K £26.4K

$38.6K £28.9K

-8.67%

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

$40.7K £30.6K

$39.9K £29.9K

2.22%

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

$614 £460

$328 £246

86.98%

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

$13.28 £9.96

$16.47 £12.36

-19.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.40 £27.31

$42.32 £31.75

-13.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.47 £34.86

$44.41 £33.32

4.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 £17.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.41 £10.81

$14.39 £10.79

0.14%

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

$1,234 £926

$1,775 £1,331

-30.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £18.9K

$25.6K £19.2K

-1.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 £68.6

$81.2 £60.9

12.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.09 £33.82

$49.04 £36.79

-8.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.8 £50.1

$108 £81.2

-38.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 £107

$115 £85.9

24.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 £518

$1,600 £1,200

-56.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 £426

$1,168 £876

-51.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 £906

$2,803 £2,103

-56.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 £819

$2,155 £1,617

-49.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,077 £3,809

$6,714 £5,037

-24.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,805 £2,854

$4,715 £3,538

-19.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,454 £1,841

$3,558 £2,669

-31.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

4.77

6.29%

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

Last update for Perth: October 18, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$663 29.9%

Edinburgh

$387 14.9% 41.7% $276

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$568 25.6%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 44.9% 106% $599

Eating Out

Perth

$349 15.7%

Edinburgh

$359 13.8% 2.9% $10

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$275 12.4%

Edinburgh

$332 12.8% 20.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$156 7%

Edinburgh

$159 6.1% 2.1% $3.3

Getting Around

Perth

$131 5.9%

Edinburgh

$124 4.8% 5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$75 3.4%

Edinburgh

$73 2.8% 2.8% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $691 in Perth 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 45% 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 $80.0 in Perth versus $108 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $332 – making Perth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Perth

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

Same time as Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,660

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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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

Perth vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,324 per month in Perth 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 Perth, 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 $80.0 in Perth 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 $2,216 in Perth and $2,601 in Edinburgh. That's a gap of about 17%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Perth, where all-in costs run around $2,216, than in Edinburgh at $2,601. In Perth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perth – 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 Perth. 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.