Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $2,765 in Portsmouth, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portsmouth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

134

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth
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Portsmouth Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,765

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,765 per month in Portsmouth vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Portsmouth $2,765
Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $3,781 per month in Portsmouth vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Portsmouth $3,781
Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $4,798 per month in Portsmouth vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Portsmouth $4,798
Edinburgh $5,397

Portsmouth costs about 5% more than Edinburgh.

Both Portsmouth and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Portsmouth by 103%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 £15.00

$24.35 £18.18

-17.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 £49.62

$105 £78.6

-36.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.87

$10.47 £7.81

0.67%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.57

$5.02 £3.75

-4.78%

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

$2.74 £2.05

$2.41 £1.80

13.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 £1.73

$2.19 £1.64

5.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.28 £4.69

$8.04 £6.00

-21.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 £4.37

$7.91 £5.91

-26.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.75 £1.31

-20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.33 £1.74

-30.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 £2.74

$2.35 £1.75

56.17%

Eggs

$3.46 £2.58

$5.13 £3.83

-32.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 £10.07

$9.05 £6.76

49.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 £6.09

$9.26 £6.92

-11.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 £9.84

$16.17 £12.08

-18.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.89 £2.91

$3.05 £2.28

27.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.87 £1.40

3.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 £2.18

$3.35 £2.50

-12.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.52

$3.75 £2.80

-9.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.05 £1.53

-18.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.53 £1.14

9.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.33 £1.00

-9.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.89 £1.41

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.69 £16.94

$23.87 £17.82

-4.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.31

$10.96 £8.18

1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.16 £2.36

-0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 £1.61

$3.22 £2.40

-32.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.94 £2.94

$3.13 £2.34

25.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.3 £64.4

$99.8 £74.5

-13.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 £3.96

$5.45 £4.07

-2.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.90 £1.42

-18.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.93 £14.88

$28.50 £21.28

-30.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$2.06 £1.54

1.46%

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

$38.5K £28.8K

$38.2K £28.5K

0.74%

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

$41.1K £30.7K

$39.7K £29.7K

3.44%

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

$661 £493

$329 £246

100.72%

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

$15.19 £11.34

$16.81 £12.55

-9.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.05 £32.14

$43.13 £32.20

-0.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.53 £25.78

$41.84 £31.24

-17.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 £12.87

$23.33 £17.42

-26.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 £8.06

$14.67 £10.95

-26.38%

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

$1,602 £1,196

$1,901 £1,419

-15.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K £14.9K

$25.8K £19.2K

-22.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 £68.1

$82.2 £61.4

10.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 £29.72

$50.0 £37.34

-20.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 £75.0

$106 £78.9

-5.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £89.2

$115 £86.0

3.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 £1,115

$1,691 £1,263

-11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 £815

$1,205 £900

-9.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 £1,602

$2,959 £2,209

-27.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 £1,246

$2,184 £1,631

-23.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,574 £3,415

$6,388 £4,769

-28.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,680 £2,748

$4,514 £3,370

-18.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,397 £2,536

$3,632 £2,712

-6.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

4.77

8.18%

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

Last update for Portsmouth: 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

Portsmouth

$1.1K 39.5%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 10.4% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

$719 26%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 45.9% $330

Eating Out

Portsmouth

$313 11.3%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 15.3% $48

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

$312 11.3%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 6.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

$158 5.7%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 0.7% $1

Getting Around

Portsmouth

$115 4.2%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 10.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

$56 2%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 26.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,493 in Portsmouth 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 7% higher in Edinburgh, 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 $66 in Portsmouth versus $105 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $333 – making Portsmouth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Portsmouth

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

Same time as Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,974

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

Between locations

Portsmouth Edinburgh 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth
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

Portsmouth vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,147 per month in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,493 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Portsmouth 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 $2,765 in Portsmouth and $2,645 in Edinburgh. That makes Edinburgh about 4% cheaper.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,765 in Portsmouth and $2,645 in Edinburgh. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Edinburgh costs $2,645 versus $2,765 in Portsmouth. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.