Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Edinburgh: $2,645 a month against $2,763 in Reading, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Reading
Learn more

Reading Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
Learn more

Edinburgh Living Index

Jump to prices

Reading

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,763

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,763 per month in Reading vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Reading $2,763
Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $4,013 per month in Reading vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Reading $4,013
Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $5,264 per month in Reading vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Reading $5,264
Edinburgh $5,397

Reading costs about 4% more than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.16 £20.29

$24.35 £18.19

11.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.3 £68.9

$105 £78.7

-12.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 £7.79

$10.47 £7.82

-0.38%

Cappuccino

$4.98 £3.72

$5.02 £3.75

-0.80%

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

$2.89 £2.16

$2.41 £1.80

19.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.08

$2.19 £1.64

26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.66 £6.47

$8.04 £6.00

7.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.84

$7.91 £5.91

-18.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.11

$1.75 £1.31

-14.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.31

$2.33 £1.74

-24.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 £2.19

$2.35 £1.75

24.68%

Eggs

$3.73 £2.78

$5.13 £3.83

-27.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.34 £8.47

$9.05 £6.76

25.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 £6.37

$9.26 £6.92

-7.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 £9.64

$16.17 £12.08

-20.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 £2.23

$3.05 £2.28

-2.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.87 £1.40

-21.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.17

$3.35 £2.50

-13.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 £2.40

$3.75 £2.80

-14.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$2.05 £1.53

-24.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.53 £1.14

-8.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 £0.69

$1.33 £1.00

-30.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.89 £1.41

-20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.01 £17.93

$23.87 £17.83

0.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 £10.38

$10.96 £8.19

26.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 £1.74

$3.16 £2.36

-26.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$3.22 £2.40

-4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.91 £2.92

$3.13 £2.34

24.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.8 £62.6

$99.8 £74.6

-16.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.55 £4.89

$5.45 £4.07

20.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.58 £3.42

$1.90 £1.42

141.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.37 £9.99

$28.50 £21.29

-53.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.49

$2.06 £1.54

-2.91%

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

$39.3K £29.3K

$38.2K £28.6K

2.74%

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

$40.6K £30.3K

$39.7K £29.7K

2.10%

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

$282 £211

$329 £246

-14.24%

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

$20.55 £15.35

$16.81 £12.56

22.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.40 £34.66

$43.13 £32.22

7.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.80 £33.47

$41.84 £31.26

7.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.12 £15.78

$23.33 £17.43

-9.47%

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 £9.84

$14.67 £10.96

-10.16%

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

$1,905 £1,423

$1,901 £1,420

0.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.2K £21.8K

$25.8K £19.3K

13.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 £55.7

$82.2 £61.4

-9.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.7 £50.6

$50.0 £37.36

35.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 £85.6

$106 £79.0

8.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 £81.1

$115 £86.1

-5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 £1,299

$1,691 £1,263

2.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 £1,017

$1,205 £900

12.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 £2,170

$2,959 £2,211

-1.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,165 £1,617

$2,184 £1,632

-0.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,218 £5,392

$6,388 £4,772

13.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,527 £4,129

$4,514 £3,372

22.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,446 £2,575

$3,632 £2,713

-5.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.82%

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

Last update for Reading: October 26, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reading

$1.4K 49.3%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 11.5% $156

Eating Out

Reading

$387 14%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 6.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reading

$349 12.6%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 11.4% $40

Groceries & Markets

Reading

$300 10.9%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 10.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Reading

$164 6%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 3.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Reading

$129 4.7%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 1.3% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Reading

$71 2.6%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,739 in Reading 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 5% 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 $92 in Reading versus $105 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $333 – making Reading the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Reading

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

Same time as Reading

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,666

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

Reading Edinburgh 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Reading
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

Reading vs Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reading is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,144 per month in Reading and $3,968 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,739 in Reading and $1,691 in Edinburgh. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92 in Reading 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 $2,763 in Reading and $2,645 in Edinburgh. That makes Edinburgh about 4% cheaper.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,763 in Reading 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 $2,763 in Reading. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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